


The Oath

by Commandernanata



Category: Adam Driver Characters - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (Comics)
Genre: Adorable Grogu | Baby Yoda, Depictions of Illness, Din Djarin Removes the Helmet, Dirty Talk, F/M, Good Parent Din Djarin, Helmet Whores, Helmetless Din Djarin, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren and Original Character, Protective Kylo Ren, Star Wars - Freeform, The Force, The Mandalorian (TV) Spoilers, The Mandalorian Darksaber (Star Wars), This Might sound like Mulan, some depictions of blood, watch me make shit up about space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:20:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29335194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Commandernanata/pseuds/Commandernanata
Summary: Meira Djarin has lived a relatively peaceful life living with her family. Educated in the basics of bounty hunting and Mandalorian heritage since a young age by her Father and brother, Meira longs for adventures. It isn't until the Djarin family is faced with the unimaginable that Meira is forced to make a decision.  Meira offers herself to the service of The First Order. Quickly finding herself working along side The Order's temperamental, and often times harsh: Commander Kylo Ren. Although different in more ways than one, Meira and Kylo find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another; which is a problem considering oaths they've both taken.~MATURE SPICY CONTENT~**** Subscribe now so you can get updates when I post!!! I won't be regularly uploading until "From The Shadows" is complete!!!!****
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s), Grogu | Baby Yoda & Everyone, Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s), The Mandalorian/Original Character
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18





	1. The Event

The tall grass in the clearing swayed in the light breeze. Meira could feel the sun warming her back as she laid on the soft ground, her eyes focused on her prize. A Striped Deer. One striped deer was enough to feed the family for weeks, and a _massive_ one just entered the clearing.

Meira had a habit of nibbling on her bottom lip as she focused intently on her task, it was something she was doing at that very moment as her father watched her. The two of them had spent all day hidden behind some fallen trees, hoping that a deer would walk by. Winter was coming on their little remote planet, and it would be wise to have a good store of meat in their store room.

"He's a big one isn't he?" Meira's father whispered to her.

"Shh... he'll hear you!" Meira whispered back.

"You've got him." For a moment Meira got frustrated at her father for speaking again. He of _all_ people should know how critical this particular moment was.

There was once a time when Din Djarin was the most famous Bounty Hunter in the entire galaxy. No one was ever able to successfully outrun The Mandalorian... as he was then known. There even was a time when he was the one time ruler of Mandalor, although that story is often contested by galactic historians.

In the fifteen years since his _official_ retirement, Din spent most his days caring to his family's homestead. Meira had been born in space and spent the first eight years of her life on board the _Night Crest,_ their family's ship. It wasn't until a close call with some thugs that shook Din to his core that he decided to permanently take off the helmet and hang up the Beskar for good. He finally allowed _Sweetie_ , his wife, to convince him to take up a sedentary lifestyle.

"If you get him... Grogu will love you for ever for those antlers he can chew on." Din said to his daughter.

"Shhhh." Meira said, a bit too loudly since now the Deer had it's head up alert.

"Dammit!" Meira uttered under her breath.

"Language!" Din whispered back. Meira grumbled under her breath and gazed intently down the scope of her blaster rifle. Sure enough, the deer was starting to get spooked.

She needed to take a shot.

Without hesitation, Meira pulled the trigger, the blast darting across into the clearing, hitting it's intended target. Meira was always a good shot. Excellent even. She took after her father when it came to shooting and not her mother, thank the stars.

"Yes!!! That's my girl!" Din said shaking his daughter's shoulder. Meira finally allowed herself to breath fully, and laugh even. Din was first on his feet, slinging his blaster over his shoulder before extending a hand to his daughter and pulling her up.

For a man of his age, he was in remarkable shape. He had his aches and pains as a result of living a hard life, but besides that, he was fit as an ox. Meira and Din ran out into the clearing where the beast lay. Din began stepping himself of the bags and equipment had had been carrying, as did Meira.

Together they rolled the beast onto it's back and worked hard to drag it back towards the tree line. The first thing Meira did before helping her father string up the deer on a nearby tree branch was to saw off the antlers. 

Her father was right. Grogu would _love_ to chew on these things. Meira smiled to herself as she thought about her _odd_ older brother. It was a little weird that he was older, older than both her parents too, yet he was her brother nonetheless. 

Meira knew all about Grogu when she was little, it wasn't until she was five years old that she got to meet him for the first time. Gro... as she called him... had been sent to live with "his own kind"... whatever that meant... for a while before she was born. Something happened and Grogu decided he no longer wanted to be with "them", so he came home. 

Home where he belonged. 

"Gro will gnaw through these in a week... tops." Meira said as her father started to take out his equipment to gut the beast.

"I give it five days. His teeth are getting sharper." Din smirked. That was another thing... Grogu wasn't the same species as the rest of the family. In fact they had no idea _what_ he was, but he was family nonetheless. Green skin, large ears, and funky superpowers and all.

"True." Meira said as she tucked the antlers away in her pack. Meira rolled up her sleeves and got to work helping her father. They had to field process most of the animal first before loading it up on their cart and walking back home. 

Meira scrunched up her nose as her father split the beast open sending blood splattering all over the ground. Din did most of the dirty work. That was just the way he was. He never really wanted either of his girls to get their hands dirty if they didn't have to. But Meira was like her mother in that she craved adventure from time to time, which... if the mood was right, Din gave in. 

Meira smiled and listened intently as her father told her an old bounty hunting story. She loved listening to his stories, he always laced lessons into them, determined to pass down some of the heritage in any way possible. He also laced in language lessons, ensuring that his Daughter was well versed in her Mandalorian heritage. 

It took them several hours and the sun was starting to get low in the sky. Din ran his hands though his grey hair and looked out at the horizon.

"Lets pack up and get going. We should be back in time for dinner." He said as he threw a bag of meat into the cart that they wheeled along with them. Meira tossed a few bags into the cart and began to gather their belongings. 

As she took a swig of water from their shared canteen, she saw her father flinch in pain as he rolled his left shoulder.

"You ok dad?" She asked him as she handed him the canteen.

"Must have been laying in the wrong position. Just feeling a little tight is all." He said as he took the canteen from her. 

With everything packed up they both took a handle of the cart and began their short walk back to the homestead. Meira couldn't help but noticed that her father's brow was wet with sweat. It was a bit warm out, but not so excessively that he should be breaking out in a sweat like that. Again she asked him if he was feeling alright, and again he said he was fine.

"I'm just getting old is all." He said with a smile.

Meira adored her father. In her eyes there was nothing her father couldn't do. He could do no wrong. As for Din, he adored Meira. He loved Grogu just as much as if he were his own biological son, but Meira... Meira was special... Meira was his little girl. Although she wasn't so little anymore. 

At the age of twenty three, Meira had grown to be a drop dead gorgeous young woman. Din dreaded the days Meira and her mother walked into town. He always feared that they'd come back with some punk boy or another seeking Meira's hand. No... Din wasn't ready for that. Din wasn't even sure there was a man... _man_ enough... for Meira. 

Over the hill the Djarin homestead came into view. Both Meira and Din waved at Sweetie who stood out in the yard pulling clothes off the clothes line. Din smirked upon seeing his wife. Oh the times they had together, the adventures they went on. Din was just as in love with his wife now as he was all those years ago when they found their feelings for each other on his old ship, the _Razor Crest_.

Together Din and Meira pulled the cart up the hill. The weight of it a bit tough, but nothing they couldn't normally handle together. Meira turned suddenly when she heard her father's breathing become labored.

"Dad?" She said just as Din dropped his side of the cart and gripped at his chest. She watched as he fell to the ground groaning in pain, gasping for breath.

"DAD!" Meira screamed. Meira dropped her side of the cart and ran over to him, screaming the entire time. 

"Help!!! MOM!!! GRO!!!! HELP!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Meira rolled her father over and balanced his head on her lap. Din's eyes were open as he gazed up at his daughter, his face beat red, and his skin utterly saturated with sweat.

"Dad... stay with me... don't close your eyes!" Meira cried. In the distance the sound of scurrying could be heard, and out of the the tall grass Grogu bursted through.

"What happened!?" Grogu said in his raspy little voice. Grogu didn't speak much, but when he did it was in broken up sentences. 

"It's dad... I don't know what's wrong!" Meira cried to her brother. Grogu said nothing else, he just placed a hand on his father's chest and closed his eyes. Slowly... very slowly... Din's breath began to slow, his eye became clear, and the redness that consumed his skin began to fade. After a moment Grogu lifted his hand and fell back on his butt.

"Tired... too much." Gro said in his little raspy voice. It was then that their mother appeared, tears streaming down her face.

"Din!" She said falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm fine!" Din replied. Together they helped Din back up to the house. 

"Could only do so much. Call doctor." Grogu rasped out as they helped Din settle into bed. Their mother called the village doctor while Meira and Grogu brought the meat inside and haphazardly packed it into their freeze box. 

Meira looked down at her brother, who stood at a height just above her knee. Grogu reached up with his arms extended and Meira fell to her knees and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Happened?" He asked. Meira began to explain to him how their day had gone, how nothing really was amiss except for the few things that their dad did as they walked back to the home stead.

"I'm really scared." Meira cried.

"It's ok to be scared. Me too." Grogu replied. 

They went to be with their mother in their parent's bedroom while they waited for the village doctor to arrive. When he did he kicked both Djarin children out of the room while he ran a series of tests. It took forever, but finally the bedroom door opened and the doctor waved the two of them in.

Already Meira could tell that the news wasn't good. The doctor had a deep look of concern and worry on his face. He clasped his hands in front of him and waited for a moment for the family to settle.

"What happened was a heart attack. If it weren't for you're son's... _skills_... you should have been calling the undertaker and not me tonight." The doctor said. Everyone in the room gasped. Once again Meira felt tears stinging her eyes. 

"Well... at least it won't happen again... right?" Din asked, everyone could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"Unfortunately.... it's not a matter of _if_ it will happen again... but rather a matter of _when."_ Immediately both Sweetie and Meira turned to Grogu as if Grogu had all the answers.

"Only so much I can do. It has... limits." He croaked out, his ears hanging low in defeat as he rested his little three fingered hand on his father's leg. 

"There is a surgeon... on Naboo. He specializes in these cases, if you were able to be treated by him and get the surgery... I suspect you have another twenty years ahead of you." The doctor said to Din. 

"This surgery... how can we have it done?" Sweetie asked.

"I can put in an urgent request now... but it's expensive. It's 30,000 credits... out of pocket." the doctor said. Everyone's hearts fell to their stomach. 30,000 credits was more than they had. They couldn't afford something like that.

"Put in the request. We'll worry about everything else later." Sweetie sternly said. 

" _Sweet..._ " Din began.

"Don't _Sweet Girl_ me... we've managed to figure out things like this before, we'll do it again." His wife sternly said. The doctor nodded his head.

"I'll head back to my office now and put in the request. Call me if anything arises." The doctor said before taking his leave. Din shooed Meira and Grogu out of his bedroom. Outside the door, Meira and Grogu could hear their parents bickering.

There had to be something they could do. Meira thought about all the things she was good at. Maybe she could take up daily hunting and sell whatever she hunts in the village. It would earn some income... but not enough for the surgery. 

Another thought popped into Meira's head. If their father was sick... who would be the one to _really_ work. As it was the way the family survived was by Din taking four low risk bounty jobs a year. If he couldn't do that.... they would have no income for the rest of the year.

"Dad can't hunt. No money." Grogu said.

"I was _just_ thinking about that." Meira said.

"What do?" Grogu asked. Meira _could_ bring in a bounty herself... Din did have her register as a guild member when she was sixteen, and he did often bring her along to his low risk hunts. She knew all the tricks of the trade. Maybe she could bring a few quarry's in?

As if it was an answer to a yet unsaid prayer, Din's communicator began to beep out of his jacket pocket that hug by the door. Meira rose from her seat and took out the old busted up device and squinted at the partially broken screen.

 _"Urgent Job. High Stakes._ ** _High_** _Risk. But you're the only man for the job. Thought I'd still ask. Pay: 50,000."_ The message read. Meira glanced over her shoulder to make sure Grogu wasn't watching.

 _"Details?"_ She typed in, trying to mimic her father's texting habits.

**_"Unsafe on this line. Cantina. Tomorrow. Noon."_ **

_"I'll be there."_ Meira typed. She put the communicator on silent and slipped it into her pocket. 

It wouldn't hurt to at least _explore_ the possibility.....

*********


	2. Clan Rules

Meira tossed and turned in her sleep all night. Even the slightest noise spooked her. She was on edge, afraid that the next sound would be that of another health emergency with her father. Once her body gave in to sleep, Meira woke with a heaviness behind her eyes, and a nagging headache. 

Sunlight filled the Djarin cottage as it did normally almost every day. As Meira laid in bed, debating whether or not to get up, she heard the distant _thud_ of Grogu hopping down from his loft. The cottage was a small one, only two bedrooms, one full 'fresher, a sitting room, and an kitchen and dining space combo. Hanging over the living room was a loft area that was meant for storage, but Grogu claimed it as his "bedroom". 

Meira listened as she heard his soft footsteps pitter patter over to the kitchen, and then she heard the clattering of pots and pans. She groaned and kicked her blankets off of her body. If Grogu was attempting to make the family breakfast, he would no doubt be knocking at Meira's door at any moment for help lighting the stove.

For being a little creature who could move stuff with his mind, he always had a hard time lighting a match for some reason. 

Meira put on her thin grey robe over her linen nightgown and went out to the kitchen. Sure enough, Grogu was standing on a chair by the stove with the matches in hand. All Meira had to do was hold out her hand. Taking the matches from him, she lit the stove before sitting down at the small table in the kitchen. 

Meira watched as Grogu got out the eggs, he popped one whole one in his mouth and munched away before starting to make them appropriately for his human family. 

"You answered dad's communicator last night." Grogu gurgled out.

" _Dammit..._ I was hoping you didn't see." Meira said.

"I see everything."

"It was a job offer."

"He can't take."

"I know... I was thinking... _maybe_ I could." She softly said, after looking over her shoulder towards her parent's bedroom to make sure they were yet to rise. 

"Dad won't let."

"I wasn't planning on asking." Meira said, getting up and starting to make herself a cup of caf. 

"Trouble." Was all Grogu said as he moved freshly cooked eggs from the pan to three waiting plates. He took one of the plates and hopped down off the chair and placed it in front of Meira.

"Thanks Gro." 

"Welcome." He said as he carried off the other two plates. Meira pushed the eggs back and forth on her plate, hearing the sound of Grogu knocking on their parent's bedroom door, and the door opening and closing. 

Eventually Meira started nibbling on her food and Grogu came back and hopped up to sit on the table and munch on another raw egg.

"When go?" He softly asked.

"I'm meeting Gaas Feid at the Cantina in town at noon."

"I don't like Gaas... liked Uncle Greef better." He said, his ears hanging low.

"Well... Gaas is who we have to deal with here on this planet."

"I go with?"

"No. You need to stay here in case dad needs you."

"I can't cure."

"I know... it has it's limits... but you can help can't you?"

"I guess."

"Then that's all that counts." She said, standing up and bringing her plate to the sink. She looked up at the clock on the wall, she had a series of morning chores she needed to complete before sneaking off into the village.

***

The walk into town only took about a half an hour. Meira fibbed and told her mother that she needed to visit the apothecary since she was low on feminine supplies, her mother didn't even question it. 

The town was a good size, large enough to boast a cantina and a Guild agent. Meira had seen large portion of the galaxy before her family settled on this tiny remote planet. Of all the sights she had seen, she did have to admit that their little village was beautiful. 

Children played in the streets, women sold their hand made goods out of their front doors, and men were always courteous and welcoming. Meira stopped at the flower vendor for a few moments to see what flowers were in season. Her eyes lit up when she saw the first blooms of her favorite flower. 

She didn't know it's name, she only knew it by sight. It had soft green leaves and stem, and it's velvety petals came in an array of delicate pastel colors. Perhaps on her way home she would buy a bouquet to put on the family table.

"Mei!" Meira heard a voice call. Meira turned around and saw Jed Harlow making his way over to her. Jed was the guy in town that _every_ young girl had a crush on. He was tall, lean, had fluffy brown hair, icy blue eyes, and one of those "award winning" smiles that made teenage girls giggle. He in fact was shining that smile right at Meira at that very moment. 

Meira and Jed had a _history_ with each other. Their relationship wasn't ever a serious one but rather one that was convenient. Meira was only attracted to Jed since he was the only fairly attractive guy around, and the sex was just ok, not that Meira had anything to compare it to. 

"Hey!" Meira said as he got closer.

"I heard the doctor got called out to the cottage, is everything alright?" Jed asked.

"My dad had a heart attack... but he's fine now, we are waiting to hear back from another doctor on Naboo." Meira honestly replied.

"Oh... Mei... I'm so sorry! Is there anything I can do?" He asked putting his hands on his hip. Meira's eyes darted past Jed towards Fey Harlow... Jed's new blond haired bubble brained wife. Fey stood in the middle of the street with a somewhat perturbed look on her face over the fact that Jed was talking to Meira. 

"No.. we are fine for now. I'm sure the next time my mom is in town she'll make a fuss if she needs anything." Meira responded, making a point to look at Fey as she made her way over.

"Meira... fancy seeing you in town." Fey said, looking Meira over with a jealous look in her eye.

"I needed to pop into the Apothecary and get a few things for the house." Meira replied.

"Did Jed tell you our news?" Fey said in an almost sing song voice as she looked up at Jed.

"Uhh... no... I hadn't gotten a chance yet." Jed nervously said, fully aware of his wife's distain for his old flame.

"We're going to have a baby! We are _sooo_ excited." Fey said patting her stomach that was still clearly flat. 

"Well good for you guys! I'm happy for you... truly. I do have to get going though! I'll see you next time!" Meira said as she began to move away from Jed and Fey. Meira rolled her eyes at the thought of Jed and Fey.

It had been no secret in the entire town that Meira and Jed were once a thing. Jed at one time even wanted to marry Meira, but to Meira it didn't feel right. She knew deep down that Jed wasn't the one for her, that she would get bored and lonely one day. Instead, Meira cut Jed loose, breaking his heart in the process but having no regrets. Three months later Jed was engaged to Fey and that was that. 

Meira marched her way towards the cantina .Before crossing the threshold, Meira raised the hood of her cloak to conceal herself from any prying eyes. 

The cantina was fairly empty this time of day, so it was very easy to find Gaas Feid in the back corner sipping on a beer. Gaas Feid was a Besalisk Ojom, it was unclear what brought him to the tiny green planet they now all resided on, but it was now the local Bounty Hunter's Guild agent.

"Meira!!!! Welcome welcome! Sit sit!" He said, his four arms flailing in Meira's direction. 

"Hello Gaas." Meira said as she sat down and waved at the waitress. Meira watched as Gaas continued to look towards the door, clearly believing that her father was on his way.

"It's just me today Gaas." Meira said as the waitress brought her a glass of ice water.

"I told your father this was a high stakes... high reward mission... I thought for sure..."

"My father is unwell... he doesn't even know about this job offer. I was the one that answered your message last night." Meira said, leaning in on the table.

"Oh... well... well... I can't." He said putting his hands up.

"You can't... what?" Meira sternly said. 

"I can't offer _you_ something like this. The job... they made very specific requests about the _type_ of person this job goes to. Your father is the only man for the job."

"And I am my father's daughter. He taught me everything he knows. I'm just as good." You argued back, to that Gaas laughed. He laughed so loudly that his big belly shook the table. 

"I know you're good. I know that. But this... this is _high_ stakes. I don't even think your father would have accepted it, but out of respect for him and his skill... I thought I'd offer." 

"Well tell me the details and I'll let you know if I'm up for it." Meira said. Gaas searched Meira's eyes and could tell that she was being serious. It was the most serious he had ever seen her. Gaas began to get serious. He scratched at his head as he looked around the cantina to make sure that no one was listening or watching.

"The job came from The First Order. They want someone skilled in... tracking. All I know is that they are seeking someone they wish to apprehend and bring in _alive._ They also apparently don't want to get their own hands dirty by doing it themselves, so that is why they are seeking a third party." Gaas whispered to Meira.

"Do you know if this person is... dangerous?" Meira asked.

"I was told it's a low ranking officer... went AWOL or something... took classified documents with him. That's all I know."

"Interesting... then why is it such high stakes? Why the hefty reward?" Meira asked.

"Apparently... if you take this job... you won't be going alone. Some high ranking First Order member will be accompanying you on the search. I'm told the guy isn't the nicest to be around, so that's the reason for the high price."

"I see. Well... whomever it is can't possibly be worse than my father when he has a bad day... or my brother when he has a sour mood." Meira chuckled to which Gaas also laughed and agreed. After a moment Gaas got serious again and leaned in towards you.

"I heard the doctor got called out last night." He whispered. 

"He did... it was my dad. It's... not good. He needs treatment and if I complete this job it'll pay for it." Meira confessed. Gaas stared at Meira for a long time, his eyes going back and forth between hers. He brought one of his hands up to scratch his head and he sat back in his seat to think.

"I'll tell you what..." He said, slamming his hand down on the table, "Take this job, complete it, and I'll only take a 5% cut instead of my usual 10. Deal?"

"Deal!" Meira said, extending her hand to Gaas.

"Get your affairs in order. They want you to meet with them at the end of the week, I won't get any additional details until the day before." He said as he shook her hand.

"Got it... and... this is between you and me... I don't want my family to know I'm doing this." Meira said.

"On my life." Gaas said putting his hand over his heart. 

***

The light from the flames in the fire place in the living room caused the shadows from the flowers that Meira brought home to dance on the walls. Meria sat in her chair in the corner making a supply list of the things she needed to somehow get on the family ship by the end of the week, but if her parent's asked her what she was up to, she said she was doodling. 

For a moment Meira stopped to watch her parents. Each sitting on opposite sides of the fireplace, the light from the flames dancing on their faces. Meira's mother was busy fixing a tear in one of Grogu's tunics, and Din... Din sat there looking at the ground.. void of any expression. Meira glanced up at the loft and saw Grogu looking down at her. Averting her eyes, Meria then turned her attention to the Mandalorian helmet that was mounted above the fireplace, along with a solid Beskar Steel spear. 

The light danced on the shimmering surfaces. The symbols of their home. The symbols of their family. 

"Remind me again the rules for wearing a helmet?" Meira asked as she doodled in the margin of her journal. This question brought Din back to reality. He sat up straighter and looked over at his daughter.

"There were many rules. It was all part of a greater creed... a creed I followed for many, many years. I once belonged to The Children of The Watch, a religious group that sought to reestablish the old ways of Mandalor. Their interpretation of it was... flawed... and rigorous. But in a nutshell... once you put on the helmet, you are to never show anyone your face, and if you ever take it off, you can never put it back on." Din explained.

"And you took it off because mom asked you to?" Meira asked.

"Yes... and because I met other Mandalorians from other clans, I learned that different clans have different rules."

"What are our clan's rules?" Meira asked, her eyes still focused on the helmet. She shifted her focus when her father leaned forward and ran his hands through his hair.

"We are Clan Mudhorn. Everything we do, we do for the good of the family. We do _whatever_ it takes to keep the family safe, whatever that may be." Din said as he turned to his daughter. Meira locked eyes with him and smiled.

Later that night, Meira laid awake in bed staring at the ceiling. Her mind was racing. 

_Everything we do, we do for the good of the family._

Meira knew she needed to do _anything_ she could to keep the family safe, to get her father healthy again. 

And that meant going off and completing this First Order job. 


	3. The Oath

The doctor returned to the homestead later in the evening. Meira retreated to her bedroom while the doctor did a follow up exam with Din. Meira sat on her bed going over lists of supplies she needed in her journal when she heard a slight scratching on her door.

"Come in!" Meira said. Her bedroom door creaked open and Grogu scurried inside. Meira watched as he slowly made his way to her bed, she scooted over as he hopped up and sat beside Meira.

"Did you meet?" Grogu asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"Yeah Gro... I did."

"And?"

"It's from The First Order. They need me to track down some officer, so it should be no big deal." Meira whispered to Grogu.

"NO! Can't go!" He said sternly, gripping at her let with his little clawed hands. Meira had never seen him so empassioned about something like that before. The way his eyes looked and how his ears stood up and his claws digging into her skin. It made her do a double take.

"Why?" She softly asked.

"Long time ago... before you born... I taken... taken by _them._ Used me... took from me... They might come take again. If they find out." Grogu laced the most words together he had all week. Meira sat there blinking at them. She was aware that _something_ happened with her parents and Grogu and The Empire long before she was born, but she was never told the details.

"Dark things... dark things they were making. Dark things they _made_." He added, his ears hanging low now. Meira turned away from Grogu for a while.

Meira found herself to be in a very precarious situation. On one hand this was the answer to helping her father, but on the other hand it opens the family up to a measure of risk. _Everyone_ knew you didn't mess with The First Order. The First Order ruled the galaxy with an Iron Fist and took what they wanted, when they wanted. 

"I accepted the job already." Meira said in a soft voice.

"They _cannot_ know you. _Cannot_ know name. Know family. None. Or they come." Grogu said. Grogu knew this was an answer to the family's current situation. He _knew_ Meira. He knew Meira wasn't taking this lightly and that she was going to do anything she could. He also knew the rules of bounty hunting, the fact that Meira had already taken on the job meant she couldn't back out. She had to be a woman of honor. 

It was the way.

"I'll figure it out. I promise. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep us all safe." Meira said just as the two of them heard the door to their parent's bedroom open and the sand of the doctor speaking. Both of them got up and went out to hear what the doctor had to say.

Their father was stable, weak, but stable. He would be that way for some time. He wouldn't be able to work or do anything strenuous until he received treatment on Naboo. The doctor informed the family that as soon as the family had the funds, they could travel to Naboo and have the procedure done.

"Thank you doctor." Meira's mother said as she saw the doctor out. Their mother broke down in tears as soon as the doctor departed.

"What are we going to do!?" She cried. Immediately Grogu and Meira rushed to her side, Meira pulling her into a hug and Grogu hugging at her legs.

"Don't worry mom... everything all works out in the end." Meira said. 

***

Meira sat in a nearby meadow, the breeze flowing through her long brown hair. She had been losing sleep and spending countless hours thinking about what she was going to do. She only had one more day left before she had to report to Gaas for the details. 

Meira thought back to what Grogu said about how he had been taken by The Empire. She knew that it was around that time that her father started to stray from his beliefs as a member of The Children of The Watch. She knew that he did what he had to do to ensure Grogu's safety. 

Meira would need to do whatever she had to do to ensure that same safety. 

Din Djarin broke The Children of The Watch's rules and removed his helmet to keep the family safe. Could Meira perhaps do the opposite to keep Grogu safe, to keep the family safe? It was plausible. 

Din had taught his daughter that when Mandalorians take oaths, there is no special set of ceremonies or parties. That it's just done in private, done in a way that is meaningful for the party involved. 

Meira looked out into the field where birds sang and butterflies fluttered about and devised an Oath for herself. 

***

Meira sat in the booth on the far side of the cantina. Nervously she sipped on a glass of water and kept checking to make sure that her bags of supplies were still strung up on her chair. Finally, Gaas entered the cantina and made his way over to her.

"Are you early or am I late?" He asked.

"I'm early." She said.

"Ok... I have the details for you." He said, pushing little electronic card across the table to her. Meira took it and put it right in her pocket.

"When you're ready, plug it into your ship, you know where. It'll give you the coordinates of the Star Destroyer that you are to meet up with and give you clearance to one of the hangars. From there they will communicate with you from that point onward." Gaas said.

"You didn't give them my name or origin did you?" Meira asked.

"No. I never do. Especially when I usually work with your father. So I figured the same would apply to you"

"Yes. It does indeed." Meira said. Meira began to get up and gather her things. She shook Gaas' hand one last time before departing back to the homestead.

***

Again, Meira and Grogu watched their mother silently cry, this time as she patched up a pair of her husband's pants. Tears streamed down Sweetie's face and she wiped her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. Quietly, Meira watched as her father just held his hand on his wife's leg, gently stoking her to keep her calm. 

Meira began to get up and make her way towards the door. Unbeknownst to her entire family, she fully intended to leave that very night. She had already secretly packed her bags and discreetly loaded them up onto the family's ship, along with her supplies. She just wanted to do a once over one more time to make sure she had everything. As she got up she looked up at the helmet and Beskar Spear above the fireplace, the last two things that she needed.

"Where are you going?" Din asked.

"One of the goats might be having her kids soon, I was going to go check before going to bed." Meira lied.

"Oh... well... make sure their water trough is fresh and they have fresh hay." He reminded her. Meira nodded and left the cottage. Quickly Meira ran across the yard towards the barn here all the goats were housed, as well as the family's ship. 

Meira scurried up the ramp of the ship and began opening and closing cabinet doors to ensure everything was just so. She counted and recounted her food and water supply. Checked the water and sewage tanks. Double checked the fuel reserves. As Meira turned around, she jumped back when she saw Grogu standing behind her.

"You can't be scaring me like that!" Meira shouted at him.

"You don't want this." Grogu said, handing her a small device that looked like it had been torn off a circuit board. Meira took it out of his hand and looked it over. _Of Course._ It was the tracking device. The device that would allow her parents to track the ship once they realized she was gone.

"Oh Stars! Thank you Grogu! I almost forgot." She said dropping to her knees and pulling him into a hug.

"You leaving tonight?" he asked.

"Yes... as soon as mom and dad are asleep. I'll go out my bedroom window, you know dad can always hear the door."

"How keep safe?" he asked.

"I figured it out. Don't you worry." She responded, tears stinging her eyes. Grogu stayed with her for a few more minutes. They did indeed check on the goats before heading back up to the cottage. A few yards from the door, Grogu stopped and tugged at the skirt of Meira's dress.

"Say goodbye now?" He asked. Again Meira dropped to her knees and hugged her brother.

"I love you so much. I"ll be back soon. I promise." She said before kissing the top of his head.

"I love too." He responded before pressing his hand to her cheek. the two of them entered the house as if nothing transpired. 

Meira took out her own set of Mandalorian armor which she kept under her bed. Din had a set made for her when she turned nineteen. They still fit, albeit a little snug, but it would have to do. She braided her long brown hair up in a crown like style on her head, ideal for wearing a helmet, and she replaced her usual earrings with simple gold studs. 

She sat on her bed, dressed in the all black under suit of her armor and waited. She listened intently as she heard her father and mother eventually go to their bedroom, and still she waited. Eventually the house grew silent, but still she waited. 

Once she was sure, Meira dressed herself in her armor and went out into the living room. As silent as a mouse, Meira took down her father's helmet and the spear, placing the tracker from the ship on the fireplace mantle. She glanced up at the loft where Grogu sat, still awake, looking down at her. 

He raised his right hand and waved to her one last time. In total silence, Meira went back to her bedroom and snuck out of her window and made her way to the cottage garden. There she sat down by the little fountain that her mother loved so dearly. The water trickling in the night. 

Meira looked up in to the night sky and opened her eyes wide at the vastness of space. The starts twinkled and glimmered and the two moons of her planet shined down upon her giving her their blessing. With her she brought two candles, which she placed on the edge of the fountain. 

She lit the candles and took up the helmet, gazing intently into the viewfinder. 

_"Everything I do, I do for the good of the family._ Whatever _it takes, I will keep my family safe. I will tell no stranger my name. I will show no stranger my face. I will tell no stranger my origins. And I will tell no stranger of my family. This is the way."_ She softly spoke out loud. Very slowly and ceremoniously, Meira raised the helmet over her head and placed it on. The viewfinder activated upon her command and her eyes began to focus on the unnatural screen in front of her. 

She grasped the Beskar spear and made her way to the barn. 

Inside the cottage Din jolted awake upon hearing the engines of the family ship firing up. Frantically he kicked the blankets off of himself, startling his wife in the process.

"What's wrong!?" She said, but Din was already up, running towards the bedroom window. He watched as the ship departed out of the barn and took off towards the night sky. He rushed out of the bedroom and halted upon seeing the helmet and the spear missing. His eye caught the tracking device.

"No!" He yelled, turning and looking up at the loft to where Grogu sat. Din knew in that very moment what had just happened. He ran to his daughter's room and pushed open the door only to find it empty and the window left open.

"MEIRA!!!!!" He screamed out the window. He left her room and rushed out of the house through the garden, stumbling and falling to his knees, his eyes seeing the candles that were still lit. 

"Where did she go!?" Din said, turning towards his wife and Grogu who were now behind him. He looked down at Grogu for he knew that the little green creature had the answer.

"For the family." Grogu said. 

**********

**A/N**

**Yes. Hi. Hello. So this is a short quick little chapter, and yes it has Mulan vibes, don't judge me! I'm just eager now to get this story started!!!! Hope you are enjoying.**

**love y'all!!!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	4. Far... Far Away

Meira felt the ship jolt out of hyperspace and the planet of Nevarro came into view. Meira felt that she had gathered enough supplies, but it never hurt to be extra sure. She sent a message down to a landing bad requesting admission. 

Steadily the shop entered the atmosphere and Meira effortlessly found her way to her assigned landing position. Meira was an excellent pilot, her father had started teaching her when she was only twelve. In the years since, Meira had learns all the tricks and skills that made her into a _very_ skilled pilot, probably over skilled for just a young woman who lived on a rural planet.

During the flight, Meira had removed the helmet and placed it on the copilots chair beside her. Now that she was landed, she truly was going to adhere to the oath that she had made for herself. Taking the helmet she fastened it over her head, powered down the ship, and made her way out onto the planet's surface. 

All around her people stopped and stared. Mandalorians were just as legendary now as they were during her father's prime. In silence, Meira made her way towards the city gate. Under her helmet she smiled when she saw a particular familiar old man leaning against the city archways.

Uncle Greef looked dumbfounded when he saw Meira in her armor and the helmet on her head. Something told him that this was not a friendly visit from her.

"Mei..." He softly said out loud once she was close enough to hear. 

"Uncle Greef... Good to see you." Meira responded.

"What's with the helmet?" He said, a look of concern in his eyes.

"I can explain... we just need to go somewhere private, not public." She said, tapping her helmet. Greef smiled and pushed himself off the pillar in which he leaned on and took to his cane, urging her to follow him. 

Greef Karga was no stranger. He was a trusted family friend. Meira's oath said she could take her helmet off for people who were not strangers. And Greef certainly was no stranger.

Meira followed Greef through town, passing the memorial in honor of her late "auntie" Cara Dune, who passed away after an unfortunate X-Wing accident several years prior. Greef and Meira weaved through the streets eventually turning down an alleyway.

"Here we go!" Greef said, pushing open the door to his humble apartment. Once inside with the door securely shut and locked behind her, Meira removed her helmet. 

"Ahhhh. There's your beautiful face!" He said, pulling Meira into a tight hug. 

"I've missed you!" Meira said, tightly hugging him back.

"So... what's new? I was surprised when I heard that your ship was coming in. I was expecting the whole family. Does your father know you're flying alone?" He said, slowly moving around the small table in his living space and pulling out a chair for Meira. Greef looked good for a man of his age. His hair was entirely white now and his skin lacked some elasticity, and he walked with a cane, but he was still Uncle Greef.

"No... my father doesn't know I took the ship. Well... he probably knows _now_ that I did. I stole it."

" _Meira Djarin!_ I am appalled." He said in a way that made Meira giggle.

"Well... Dad... at the beginning of the week... he had a heart attack. It was bad."

"Why did no one call me!?" Greef said, shock written all over his face.

"You know my parents. Always so private and secretive. The doctor said that there's a surgeon on Naboo that can repair Dad's heart. The only problem is... is that the surgery costs way more than we have or ever would have."

"How much? All you need to do is ask." Greef said, attempting to get up from his chair.

"No... It's way too much. No one has the amount just laying around. So... I took a bounty job."

"Meira... you did not! Your father is going to kill you."

"Oh I know; but the job will pay for the surgery in it's entirety. There was just one small issue."

"Which is?"

"It's a First Order job."

"MERIA! NO!" Greef said slamming his fist down on the table. "After everything the Empire put your family through back in the day! NO!"

"We have no other options! And Grogu already is upset with me, which that alone is almost too much to bare. But I have it all figured out. I took oaths. They won't know who I am, or where I came from. The job seems easy enough, I'm just tracking down an Officer who abandoned post or whatever. It isn't dangerous."

"I still don't like it."

"Well I accepted and The First Order is expecting me. I just came here to get a few more supplies and to let you know where I'm going. Grogu knows, but it doesn't hurt to leave a breadcrumb trail in case something happens." Meira says. For a while Greef stared at his adopted niece, searching her face. He could easily identify that same sense of duty and honor that she inherited from her father. She was a smart cookie, he'd give her that. He had no doubt that she would be successful, but, she was _Meira._

Meira was always Din Djarin's _little girl_. Even now, sitting in front of him as a full grown woman, Greef could only picture the little girl with the wide brown eyes and long chestnut colored hair that curled at the very ends. 

"You've learned everything from the best. So I have no doubt you will do well. Just know... the last time a Djarin got involved with those folks, they ended up with your brother. So don't be surprised if you end up bringing home a new family member." He chuckled.

"I don't plan on bringing anyone or anything home." Meira laughed.

Meira spent an hour with Greef at his apartment. He showered her with tea and cookies and stories from before she was born. After, Meria put her helmet back on and walked with him through town gathering last minute supplies, which Greef insisted he pay for. 

"So... you only wear the helmet in public?" Greef asked.

"Only around strangers, people I don't _know_ to be trust worthy." Meira said as she hoisted a bag of supplies over her shoulder as they made their way out of town. 

"And you won't tell a soul your name or where you're from?"

"Nope."

"Good... you'll be just like how your father was when I met him, mysterious and slightly terrifying." He chuckled.

"Good... I hope so." 

"You have enough food?" He asked as they stopped at her ship.

"Yes."

"You have extra Bacta and extra Bacta for the extra Bacta?" He asked.

"You know my mother, she never kept a low supply." Meira chuckled.

"That I do." He laughed. 

"Well... I'm off." Meira said, awkwardly looking around at her ship.

"You be careful." Greef said, pulling her into a hug.

"I promise." She said. 

Meira boarded her ship and started the engines. She watched out the window as the ship took off and Greef stayed behind, waving her off. Once she was high enough in the sky, Meira removed her helmet. 

Checking over the controls once more, and allowing the ship to hover in orbit around Nevarro, Meira took out the card the Gaas had given her. She turned over the very sleek and high-tech looking card in her hand and her thumb grazed over the First Order symbol that was etched into it. She took a deep breath and held it to her chest.

 _"For the good of the family."_ She uttered to herself. Taking the card she plugged it into the consul of the ship and watched as the control screen began to read it. Coordinates popped up and instructions on how to hail the star destroyer also appeared. The name of the destroyer:

**_The Finalizer_ **

***

"Attention Vessel _Night Crest_ do you copy?" A firm and authoritative voice echoed out of the Comm. Meria had just brought the ship out of hyperspace and her eyes were wide with awe at the massive star destroyer in front of her.

"Yes.. this is _Night Crest._ " Meira responded.

"We have your data from the pass card. A tractor beam will bring you in to hangar 19. Do not attempt to maneuver your own vessel." The voice said.

"Affirmative." Meira responded. Meira let go of the controls of the ship and she felt the ship jolt forward as the massive star destroyer's tractor beam began to pull her in. Meira felt her pulse quicken and the back of her neck grow sweaty. She looked over the cabin of the ship one last time to make sure all personal things were locked and hidden away from prying eyes. 

Meira thought the star destroyer was big before, but now as she was being brought in, she was in total awe as to how massive it was up close. Meira took up her helmet and put it on and made sure all her armor was fastened correctly and a blaster affixed to her thigh. 

"Vessel _Night Crest_ you will assume control of your vessel and land. Upon landing immediately power down your vessel." The authoritative voice commanded.

"Affirmative." Meira responded back. Meria sat behind her controls as the ship was brought into the hangar, she then landed the ship and immediately powered it down just as she had been instructed. 

"Vessel _Night Crest_ you will exit your ship with your hands visible." The voice said. Meria immediately got up and made her way to the back of the ship and lowered the ramp. A cloud of mist and vapor filled the cabin and light flooded the space as the ramp lowered. Meira kept her hand away from the blaster on her thigh and kept them visible as she descended the ramp. 

All around her Stormtroopers, mechanics, pilots, engineers, and officers marched about. This wasn't you usual hangar, no, it was the side of a small stadium. Standing a few yards away from the bottom of the ship's ramp was one particular stormtrooper. They were clad in a suit entirely made of Crome and in their arms they held a massive blaster.

"Are you the pilot of this vessel?" The trooper said, Meira was grateful for her helmet, since it shielded her face from the surprise of hearing that the trooper in front of her was, in fact, a woman. 

"Yes." Meria responded.

"Are there no other inhabitants on the vessel?" 

"I came alone."

"Good. Your ship will be scanned for life forms. I am... quite pleased... we were told a skilled bounty hunter was arriving, we were _not_ told it was a Mandalorian. Your people are legendary for their skill set. The General will be pleased."

"Thank you Ma'am, it is an honor to be trusted." Meira responded. 

"I am Captain Phasma... we were not given a name for you."

"I do not go by one. Mando is sufficient."

"Very well... _Mando_... I do need to confiscate your weapon." Phasma said. Slowly, _very_ slowly, Meira removed her blaster and placed it into the Captain's waiting hand. No doubt Phasma could have restrained Meira and removed it herself, but having Meira give it to her was a sign of respect. Already the Crome clad captain had respect for the small Mandalorian who already was proving to be respectful and efficient. 

"Thank you. If you would be so kind as to follow me." Phasma said, turning on her heels and marching. Meira kept up two paces behind Phasma as they zigzagged their way through the ship. Everywhere they went people stopped to salute Phasma and gawk at Meira with her Beskar helmet and matte black armor. 

Eventually they made their way to what Meira assumed was the bridge of the ship. Under her helmet, Meira's eyes went wide with wonder as she saw all the officers and controls of the massive vessel. Standing at the very end of the catwalk stood a man with slicked back red hair, who stood just as tall as Phasma.

"General. Our bounty hunter has arrived." Phasma said, altering the man to your presence. The man looked past Phasma to Meira, his hands clasped behind his back. He made no effort to hide the fact that he was looking Meira up and down.

"A Mandalorian... what a _lovely_ surprise. I am General Hux, welcome aboard The Finalizer." This Hux man said.

"It is an honor to be here, Sir." Meira responded, the sound of Meira's dainty voice through the voice modulator causing Hux's eyebrows to rise. 

"Follow me." He ordered. You then followed Hux and Phasma around the bridge towards an awaiting doorway which opened up into a private office. 

"The Commander was alerted of our Guest's arrival some time ago." Phasma said once the doors closed behind all of you.

"Does our guest have a name?" Hux asked as he took a seat behind what appeared to be his office desk.

"Just Mando, Sir." Meira responded.

"Well... while we wait for our _esteemed_ Commander to arrive, allow me to start briefing you on your assignment." Meira could tell just by the way Hux said the word "esteemed" that he did not favor whomever this commander was. 

Meira began wondering if it would be one of these three individuals whom would be accompanying her on this mission. Part of her already hoped it was Captain Phasma, it would be a comfort to travel with a woman. If it was The General, she already felt like she had to sleep with one eye open over the way he looked her up and down on the bridge. 

"An officer by the name of Eli Hask has deserted his posting three weeks ago. We have tried unsuccessfully to locate him. He took with him critical weapons documents which we need to retrieve. We were able to track him throughout the inner rim, towards the outer, but that we ran into some issues regarding the planet Napta." It was then that the doors to the office abruptly slid open and Meria heard the sound of stomping boots against the metal floor. Her hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the figure that approached from behind her came into view.

He was tall.

So incredibly, incredibly tall.

Meria began to feel like a mouse surrounded entirely by individuals who stood a good two to three heads higher than she. She began to wonder what they thought of her. Did they think her pathetic for being so short and petite?

"Appologies for my tardiness... _General."_ The tall man, clad entirely in black said. His deep husky voice through the moderator of the helmet he wore raised goosebumps on Meria's skin. 

"I'm _so_ glad you could join us, _Commander._ " Hux snarked back. "As I was saying... Eli Hask is now located on the planet Napta. Napta is a neutral autonomous zone, in which we have alliances and agreements with. They neither are pledged to the Republic nor us, however, our agreements with them prohibit us from landing any First Order personnel on the planet's surface. Which is where you come in, Mando." Hux said pointing to Meira. 

"You will be acting as a third party representative. There are no rules or regulations that prevent Bounty Hunters from obtaining a quarry on Napta, which is why we found the need to hire you. Commander Kylo Ren will be accompanying you to collect Hask. You are to retrieve the files and terminate Hask." Hux said.

"Would the Commander's accompaniment not violate the agreement with Napta?" Meira asks.

"No. I will be acting as a mercenary. I am also the Master of The Knights of Ren." This Kylo fellow said quickly and firmly, turning towards Meira, not that Meira knew who or what these Knights of Ren were.

"Noted." Meira said. 

"All in all... it should be a fairly easy assignment. Hask isn't _that_ intelligent. Captain Phasma will give you all the documents and tracking information you need. You will embark as soon as Commander Ren is ready." Hux said.

"Did we not discuss the matter of which ship to take?" Commander Ren asked.

"Mando has her own vessel. We cannot spare a First Order vessel, it would be in violation of Napta's regulations." Hux firmly said. Meira heard the Commander grumble under his breath as if it were an issue that they would be taking _her_ ship. Abruptly, Ren turned on his heel and marched out of the room. Meira looked to Hux who was pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"It would only be fair to warn you, Mando, Commander Ren is particularly... _difficult_. So I apologize in advance." Hux said.

"I've handled worse." Meria said.

"No... No I don't think you have." Phasma said.

***

Captain Phasma returned Meira to her ship and informed her that she was cleared for departure once Commander Ren arrived. Now Meira waited. Meria had no hopes that the commander would be on time given the fact that he was late to the meeting. 

While she waited, Meira went over all her supplies yet again and made sure the 'fresher and spare bed pod was in full working order. According to her father, _The Night Crest_ was a yacht compared to with the _Razor Crest_ once was. Din had told his daughter that it was her mother who was insistent on a more "comfortable"ship. 

So... _The Night Crest_ had two full sized bed pods that each had a thick plush mattress and a pull down privacy door, a small kitchenette, a spacious 'fresher, and plenty of storage for weapons and the sort. In the underbelly of the ship was the Carbonite machine as well as Carbonite storage and small jail cells for any bounty's.

Meria turned when she heard the sound of boots thumping up the ship ramp. Kylo Ren appeared, clad and cloaked all in black with his helmet on . He glanced at her as he passed, dropping a large duffle bag at her feet.

Meira sighed under her helmet and kicked his bag over to the side of his ship where his sleeping pod would be. It was then that she heard the sound of controls and buttons being hit up in the cockpit that caused her to move.

"Excuse me?" She said upon finding him sitting in the pilot's seat and starting to fire the ship. He made no response.

"I understand you're the Commander of The First Order, but this is _my_ ship, and _I'll_ be flying it."

"I don't _copilot."_ He said, lacing that last work with disgust.

"I'm not asking you to copilot. I don't _need_ one."

"Well I don't let just _anyone_ fly me around." He said.

"And I don't let just _anyone_ fly _my_ ship!" Meira said, slightly raising her voice. Immediately Kylo Ren rose from his seat and towered over her, looking down at her, the viewfinder of his helmet looking directly into hers. "Plus... I'm not just _anyone._ I am a Mandalorian." She said, lacing her words with a sweetness to show she was not trying to be hostile or disrespectful. 

Underneath his helmet Kylo Ren didn't know what to make of the _little girl_ that stood before him. As a boy he had heard legends about Mandalorians, about how they were skilled and fearsome warriors and killers. He even met a Mandalorian... once. He knew that they were truthful and honorable people, yet he was struggling giving up _control_ to someone else. 

"Your bag is next to your sleeping pod, to the left you'll find a closet you can hang and unpack your belongings. Once I get us into hyperspace, I'll be more than happy to show you around." Meira said to him, softly. 

There was something about her... something soothing that Kylo couldn't quite put his finger one. People he had to deal with often vexed him, but not this little Mandalorian. She meant business.

"Very well... _Mando."_ He said, turning, his cape catching on the air. Meira hit the button to raise the ramp of the ship and then the button to close the door to the cockpit. She sat down behind in the pilot's seat and took a big cleansing breath.

" _Stars...._ what did I get myself into?" She said to herself. 


	5. Tension in Orbit

The trip to Napta would take approximately six hours. After that the ship would have to be in Napta's orbit for anywhere from a few hours, to a few days waiting for clearance to enter the planet's atmosphere. That was the issue with these independent, autonomous planets who had their own rules. 

With the _Night Crest_ safely in Hyperspace, Meira leaned back from the controls and sighed. Now she had to go deal with her giant companion in the back of the ship. Meira rose from her seat, straightened her helmet, and exited the cockpit. 

On the other side, Kylo Ren was sitting on the edge of his sleeping pod, leaned over with his elbows on his knees.

"Flight should be six hours and then we have to wait for atmospheric clearance." Meira said.

"Atmospheric clearance?" Kylo responded. 

"We have to apply for a visa and wait for them to approve our entrance to the planet, could take an hour, could take a few days." She responded. 

"Damn Independents..." Kylo grumbled.

"The... 'Refresher is over to the left, the cabinet inside has towels and everything. The kitchenette is to the back, it's fully stocked. There's a holoprojector, we do get inter galactic stations, and lastly below is the Carbonite machine with carbonate storage and jail cells." Meira said, roughly pointing out every necessary part of the ship to her new companion. He seemed to be too unphased by her mini tour of the ship.

"Uhhh... back here is the weapons closet... usually don't need much, but in the event that we do." Meira said, pressing the button and showing that the door slid open. Kylo glanced at the assortment of guns, explosives, and various other tools of destruction. Seeing all the weapons made Kylo chuckle under his breath. 

"This really your ship?" He asked.

"It's really my ship." Meira said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"How many bounties have you collected?" He asked.

"That's none of your business."

"I'm technically your employer, so you have to answer my questions." Under her helmet, Meira blinked and began to frantically search her mind to come up with a feasible answer. Sure she had accompanied her father on trips before, but never had she ever collected a bounty on her own. 

"Over ten." She lied.

"Liar."

"I am not!" Meira said, raising her voice slightly. 

"Whatever you tell yourself." He somewhat chuckled under his helmet. 

"Why did they send the commander of The First Order to do some bitch work? Surely some low ranking trooper is perfectly capable to take a shot as a deserter." Meira scoffed, getting comfortable and leaning up against the wall, tilting her head to look down at him.

"I'd watch it if I were you." He said.

"Do you even know what I'm being paid for this? This job is easy, I could probably do it with my eyes closed, yet they're paying me far above the regular rate. Do you know why that is?"

"I don't care."

"They told me that my _companion_ on this trip was notoriously difficult, so the pay is compensation. Why are you notoriously _difficult?_ " Meira boldly asked. All at once, Meira was shoved against the wall by an invisible hand. One she had felt many times before when she an Grogu got into arguments. 

Under her helmet she blinked in slight shock. 

"I sometimes have a temper," He said, getting up and walking over to her. His helmet getting close to hers. "So I'd watch yourself if I were you." He said, the brow of his helmet pressing against hers. 

Meira felt a jolt of electricity flow through her and a heat spread over her skin that she couldn't explain. He was so close to her that even though her helmet, she could smell him. He smelled like leather, fire, and jasmine. 

He released her form his force hold and all she did was straighten her armor before retreating back into the cockpit, shutting the door behind her. In her absence, for some odd reason, Kylo began to feel guilty for shoving her the way he did. Guilt was not an emotion that Kylo Ren regularly felt, but there was _something_ about the little Mandalorian, he just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

Back up in the cockpit, Meira paced back and forth, inhaling and exhaling. Grogu had told her all about how there were others like him who had the same abilities, but she had never met any of them. This job was just growing more complicated by the minute. Now not only did she have to worry about keeping her identity a secret, but now she had to make sure she didn't let on that she _knew_ about The Force. 

All Meira could do was pray that this job only took a few days....

***

The Planet Napta came into full view outside the cockpit. Lowering the trusters, Meira began the process to hail the atmospheric authorities to start the entry process. She didn't get good news. It would take _three days_ for the application to be approved. 

"Hey.... I've got good news, and I've got bad news, which do you want first." Meira said, leaning against the cockpit doorframe and looking at Kylo who was lounging in his bed pod with his datapad on his lap.

"Good." He said.

"Well... We are now in orbit around Napta!" Meira said, holding her hands out and doing little jazz fingers. The visor of Kylo's helmet just stared at her, but _under_ his helmet he couldn't help but smirk slightly. 

"And the bad?" He asked.

"Our application will take 3 days to be approved."

"Shit..." He said, tossing his datapad to the side. 

"I said the same thing." She said, going over to her bed pod and pressing the button for the door to rise. Slowly she sat down on the edge.

"What the fuck are we going to do for three days?" Kylo asked. 

"No kriffing idea..." Meira groaned as she pulled her legs up onto her bed. Without saying another word, Meira pressed the button on the inside of her bed pod, shutting the privacy door. 

***

Hours went by and the two of them didn't speak to one another. They would just glance back and forth. It was like a standoff. Who was going to breakdown and use the 'fresher first? Who was going to breakdown and make food for themselves first? Who was going to go to sleep first? 

Meira was nervous for unexplained reason, and Kylo Ren could sense it. Kylo lounged in his bed pod, his legs spread and his arms up supporting his head. 

Meira sat with her legs crisscrossed and her datapad propped up watching some holodrama, the audio of which she linked up to her helmet so her companion didn't have to hear.

In the corner of her eye Meira caught movement. Discreetly, Meira muted her drama and glanced over without moving her head so much. Kylo Ren had gotten up from his bed pod.

The hour was really growing late.

She watched with nervousness as he stood, his back to her, and he removed his helmet. A cascade of dark wavy hair fell out. She watched as he ran a gloved hand though the locks. There was something about the way he moved to do it that instantly made hr bite her lip. Then, she watched as he turned around... and smirked at her.

 _Fuck_. She thought to herself. She wasn't prepared for someone.... someone so.... _handsome._ He had a _look_ about him, a _devastating_ look. Her pulse quickened.

"What... expect something else?" He snarked, his unaltered voice smooth and velvety, making a heat rise on the back of her neck. 

"I thought you were a lizard." She snarked. 

"Sorry to disappoint." He replied as he removed his gloves and threw them on his bed. Meira tried _not_ to watch him as he rummaged through his belongings and then disappeared into the 'fresher. Meira audibly sighed once she heard the 'fresher door lock in place and the shower turn on. But then she found her mind wandering _elsewhere._

Meira and Jed had broken up a year prior, which meant Meira had been completely.... _untouched_ for the past year. Which... didn't bother her until now. She had kept busy with homestead work and really didn't dwell too much on it. Yet now... now faced with close proximity of someone who was _devastatingly_ attractive to her... she was having issues. 

Her mind thought back to Kylo Ren's shoulders, how broad they were, and the curve of his back. Her mind focused on how he had smirked at her, his lips looked soft and warm. She thought of his hands, although she only caught a glimpse of them. She found herself to be hyper fixating on her travel companion. 

A pang of hunger hit Meira's stomach and she decided to divert her mind towards making food instead. She got up and began rummaging through the kitchenette, settling on instant noodles. She made them according to the instructions on the packaging, and by the time they were finished, the 'fresher door slid open. 

Holding her bowl of noodles in hand, Meira turned and nearly dropped the bowl. Kylo stood there in the doorway, a towel hanging low around his waist and his hair dripping beadles of water onto his shoulders, which then slowly traveled down the broad expanse of his muscular chest. 

Meira was grateful for her helmet. She unashamedly looked him up and down, her eyes lingering at where the towel stopped low on his waist. Reactively, her muscles clenched and she felt a heat spread in her lower stomach.

"What... still expecting something else?" He smirked yet again at her. Meira said nothing, instead she went to her bed pod, tucked herself up inside, and aggressively hit the button for the privacy door to close and lock in place. 

Meira tore off her helmet and took in a breath of air, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her mind of any and all inappropriate thoughts that had just popped into her head. 

"Do I not get dinner?" She heard Kylo say on the other side of her door.

"Your a big boy... make it yourself... I'm not your mother." Meira said. The sound of _her_ unaltered voice made him take a step back and bite his lip. Her voice was soft... sweet... like a song... and she had an accent he couldn't place.

"Ahhh... so she does remove her helmet." He said, leaning against the frame of her bed pod, bringing his hand up and tracing circle on to the metallic surface.

"Well I'm not a droid... a girl's got to eat some how." She responded before s blowing on a spoonful of noodles.

"I showed you mine.... you should show me yours." He said. Meira nearly choked on her noodles. 

"Go make yourself dinner." Meira firmly said. Outside her bed pod, Kylo Ren chuckled to himself before grabbing new clothes and returning to the 'fresher. He turned back once and looked at her locked up bed pod, thinking briefly about what could _possibly_ be on the other side.

***

Meira listened intently as her companion made himself noodles and then settled into his own bed pod. She strained to hear whether or not he had lowered his privacy door or not. She was clenching her thighs together, she really had to pee, and she didn't want to confront him anymore than she already had that day. 

It was no use. She had to go out there. 

Meira put her helmet back on and decided to face the inevitable. She hit the button to her door and it silently slid open. The lights inside the ship had dimmed and through the viewfinder of her helmet, she saw stillness in his bed pod. 

_He was asleep._ Or so she thought. 

Meira felt relieved. She quickly gathered her things so that she could _finally_ ready herself for bed. She took her now empty bowl of noodles to the kitchen and got out fresh underwear and base layer clothes for her armor and she scurried into the 'fresher. With the door locked behind her, she started the shower and began stripping herself of her armor and clothes. 

Outside the 'fresher, Kylo Ren was wide awake and alert. He had been _trying_ to sleep, but sleep sometimes evaded him most nights. He turned over in his bed and stared at the light that came out from under the 'fresher door. 

He could see her shadow moving on the other side. The mystery of who she could be and what she looked like thrilled him. It was like a chase. There was _something_ about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on, something that made him want to _figure her out_. 

Kylo Ren never really had _issues_ when it came to women. Even women who hated his very existence eventually broke down after some... _convincing_. But this little Mandalorian... she was proving to be a hard nut to crack. 

Kylo closed his eyes and using The Force he pushed his way inside the 'fresher to see if he could _feel_ her. He could sense all her movements, her mood, her aura. That was all. There was no indication of what she could possibly look like. He pulled his senses out of there once he heard the shower turn off. 

He listened intently at the rustling of fabric and the flow of water from the sink. The toilet flushed one time and then... the light turned off in the 'fresher. Kylo squeezed his eyes shut as the door slid open. He didn't want her to know he was actually awake. 

Meira kept to the shadows of the ship. She was wearing her tight fitting base layer as she exited the 'fresher. She wasn't taking any chances, so she did put her helmet on before going back out there. She glanced at Kylo's still frame before she stood in front of her bed pod and began arranging her armor.

She debated whether or not she should sleep in it. She figured it would be fine. So she just piled it up on the ground. 

Behind her, Kylo opened his eyes and in the dim light, took in her frame. She had an hour glass figure with a plump ass that made Kylo's eyes grow wide and his mind wander. The black leggings she wore cupped her ass perfectly and were ruched in such a way that defined her ass perfectly. She looked much smaller with all her armor removed. Yet she still had her damn helmet on. He guessed she was one of _those_ Mandalorians. 

He watched her every moment, hoping maybe she would turn around. She didn't. Instead she climbed into her bed pod and shut the door.

***

They had made it through one awkward night, the following morning not even speaking to each other. Meira made her way up to the cockpit and hailed the atmospheric authorities to see if there was an update on their application.

Nope. They still had to wait. 

When Meira returned to the back of the ship, Kylo was just dumbly standing there. He had yet to put his helmet back on.

"Take a picture... it'll last longer." Meira said as she passed him, noting how he stared at her. 

"So you're one of _those_ Mandalorians." He said.

"What do you mean?" She responded. 

"The kind that never takes off their helmets or let's people see their faces." He said, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. If his shirt was any tighter, surly it would rip.

"We Mandalorains live in Clans. Each clan has their own rules. Some _never_ take off their helmets, some only use their helmets for safety, others only let those they trust see their faces." Meira said as she went over to the kitchenette.

"So what kind are you?" He had an air of cockiness to his voice.

"Only those I _trust_ I take my helmet off for."

"So... how does one earn your trust?" He asked; stepping closer too her, caging her in against the counter. Meira paused and made a show of looking him up and down.

"What you're doing now..." She mused, lacing her words slightly flirtatiously.

"Yeah?" he replied, the word caught slightly in his throat.

"I'd suggest you stop doing it." She finished sternly. To that Kylo chuckled and rolled his tongue in his mouth before stepping back.

 _So... she was going to be like that._ He thought to himself as she walked away after grabbing a few packaged snacks. He watched as she disappeared yet again into her bed pod.

***

Time moved ridiculously slow. There were only so many activities one could occupy themselves with locked in a tiny ship orbiting a planet. Meira took to just staring at the ceiling of her bed pod and Kylo did the same. Occasionally they would glance awkwardly at each other. 

There was an intense amount of inexplicable tension between the two of them. You could slice the tension with a knife. 

"You were for sure lying when you said this was your ship." Kylo said, breaking the silence. 

"It is _my_ ship."

"Really..." He said in a way that sounded like he was trying to argue.

"It's my _Clan's_ ship." Meira said, rolling her eyes under her helmet.

"So... you share a ship."

"Yes." 

"And where's your clan?"

"None of your business."

"How old are you?"

"What the fuck...?" Meira replied.

"I'm stuck in a ship and have to hunt down a fugitive with you... might as well try and at least know who I have to work with." He scoffed. 

"I'm twenty three." Meira replied. 

" _Awwwww._ A baby." He chuckled, but deep down he was relieved. Part of him worried if she was an ancient old woman under that helmet.

"Shut up... how old are you?"

"Twenty eight."

"Old man..."

"Whatever... do you have a boyfriend?"

"What are we playing the question game?"

"Might as well. I've got nothing better to do." He shrugged. 

"No... I don't."

"Ever _have_ a boyfriend?"

"Once... broke up with him last year... he was boring. I bet as the commander you surely have all sorts of girlfriends." Meira boldly said.

"It depends on the day."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing..." He replied. For a while a few moments of silence passed before Kylo spoke again. "How long have you been wearing the helmet?"

"None of your business."

"I was twenty three when I put mine on."

"Why? What are your reasons?"

"I have a famous face." He chuckled.

"Really... looks pretty plain to me."

"It's a long story... so... what are your reasons... other than not trusting me?"

"To protect my clan."

"How does wearing a helmet protect your clan?" He asked

"Bounty hunting is a complicated profession. Sometimes you make enemies. Better to conceal your identity so your enemies can never find you."

"Am I your enemy?" He asked. For a moment Meira had to think. Was he? Aside from being the Commander of the First Order... was he _really_ her enemy?

"I haven't decided yet."

"I don't think we're enemies."

"Really?"

"No."

"Why's that?"

"I haven't killed you yet. People usually don't last long around me. They usually are annoying and incompetent."

"So you kill them?" She said in disbelief. 

"Yeah." 

"I guess I could say the same for you."

"What?"

"I haven't killed you yet either." She chuckled. 

"So you're beginning to trust me?" He said turning over on his side in his bed pod to face her.

"Debatable."

"I'm going to win your trust... I'm already challenging myself." He said, Meira glanced over and saw that he was using The Force to make his gloves levitate in front of him. 

"Aren't you going to ask me about it?" He asked noticing she was watching him.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I know when to mind my business." He nodded his head at that. She really did know how to mind her business, which he appreciated. Usually when he was forced to work with _people_ they tried to pry him open.

"I think you know what it is."

"And how do you know that?" She asked.

"It's a feeling." He said, smirking at her his eyes gazing intently into her helmet. His dark eyes. They bore straight into hers.

"You're a Force user." She said softly after a moment.

"Ahh... she's smart. Not many people know what it is anymore." He said.

"I'm a bounty hunter... I've seen a thing or two." She replied. 

"You know... I can do more than move _things_ with it."

"I'm sure you can."

"I can use it for... _other_ purposes... if you understand my meaning." He said with a cocky smirk on his face. Of course she understood his meaning, and it made her pulse quicken. 

"You're full of yourself." She laughed before smacking the button to her privacy door, causing it to abruptly shut in his face. 

"Don't lie to yourself... I know you're curious." He raised his voice loud enough for her to hear on the other side. Already Meira had torn off her helmet and was trying to keep her breathing slowed. 

_She was curious._

***

Meira had fallen asleep. She had removed all her armor and kicked it down to the foot of her bed, and up by her pillow she had her helmet propped up. She had stayed in her pod the rest of the evening, caring not what Kylo did. 

She checked her datapad and saw that it was ridiculously late. Slowly and silently, Meira opened her privacy door just a crack to take a peek out. In the pitch black darkness, she could see that his privacy door was down. 

Carelessly, Meria opened her door the rest of the way and tiptoed to the 'fresher in the pitch black darkness of the ship. It was the latch of the 'fresher door closing that alerted Kylo that she was up. 

He hit the button to his door and saw her helmet propped up on her bed, and chuckled to himself. He debated sitting there and just catching her, but again... he felt guilty. Deep down... deep down he knew he wouldn't do that to her. For some reason... he respected her, and he _genuinely_ wanted to earn her trust, he wanted _her_ to take off the helmet for _him_.

Standing up, Kylo crossed the space and picked up her helmet and walked over to the 'fresher. He heard the toilet flush and the sink run. Lifting his hand up, he knocked on the door.

Meira froze.

Her helmet... she had forgotten her helmet.

"Forgetting something?" She heard his deep voice come through the door.

"Fuck off." Meira said, a heat rising to her cheeks.

"Hey... I'm trying to help you... I have your helmet here. I won't look... I promise." He said, leaning into the door more. 

"Yeah right... what do you want in return?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Surely you must want something for this act of.... _kindness."_ Kylo thought about it for a moment and he devilishly broke out into a smile.

"Kiss me." He said.

"You can't be serious."

"I promise I won't look." Kylo then squeezed his eyes shut and stood up straight. Meira stepped closer to the door and flipped off the light switch in the 'fresher. Her hand hovered over the door switch and her mind went a million miles a minute. 

She had thought about it. Oh boy had she thought about it. From the moment she saw his face she thought about what it would be like to have his lips against hers. 

Slowly.... ever so slowly... she brought her hand to the door switch.

 _What could possibly go wrong?_ She thought to herself.

The door slid open and they both stood there in pitch black darkness. Meira could see that he truly had his eyes pressed shut. His hand came up searching for her. With a shaky hand of her own, she took it. 

Once he made contact with her, he blindly followed the contour of her hand, her wrist, up her arm to her shoulder, and then to her neck. His fingers hit her braids and his hand cupped the back of her neck. 

Pulling her closer he lowered himself. The whole time Meira watched him like a hawk. He was being a man of his word, keeping his eyes plastered shut. Free from her helmet she could look at him. _Really_ look at him. Up close she could count his freckles and his eyelashes. Her mouth salivated when her eyes fell to his lips. 

Licking her lips, she stood on her tip toes and brought her mouth to his. 

It shocked them both at first. Kylo especially. He thought _for sure_ she wasn't going to let this fly... but she did. He melted a little bit, dropping his hand and finding the small of her back, pulling her tightly to him.

They both had meant for this to be quick, but once it was done... it could not be undone. Meira's hands quickly went up to his hair and she ran her fingers though, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. Kylo couldn't help himself, he deepened the kiss, running his tongue over her bottom lip seeking entrance. 

She made a small involuntary noise before parting her lips. He moved quickly and pressed her back up against the door frame as his tongue sought entrance. Kylo didn't open his eyes. At this point he physically couldn't, the intensity of touching her was all consuming. He brought his mouth down her jaw and to her neck, his lips suckling gently on the soft flesh as he also inhaled her scent. 

Meira couldn't believe she was allowing this. She had her arms around him as she pulled him tightly to her, his mouth against her skin sending jolts of electricity to her core. She felt something hit het leg and she realized that he was clutching her helmet with his other hand.

That was all it took to being her back to reality. She ripped the helmet from him and pushed away, managing to get her helmet back on before he could turn and open his eyes. 

She didn't look back at him. She couldn't. For she knew that if she did.... she would just take off the helmet and reach for him again. 

Kylo watched as she climbed into her pod and slammed the door shut. He found himself to be out of breath.

Brining his hand up to his mouth he knew he fucked up.

This was no casual conquest. This was no _game._ This was serious. He knew in that very instant, from that kiss that she gave him that he was going to be haunted by it forever. That he was now going to crave her... forever.

_All from a simple kiss._


	6. Ripping You Off

Meira slept the best she had since leaving home. When she woke the following day she couldn't help but stare up at the ceiling of her sleeping pod and trace over her lips with the tips of her fingers. She still couldn't believe she _kissed him_ the night before, and she couldn't believe that she was _still thinking about it._

It was just... she had _never_ been kissed like that before. Sure... Jed was nice. He was a good guy. The golden child of the local village. But things with him were always... lacking. And Meira never really could put a finger on what it actually was... until now. 

Meira needed to get up. She needed to get food and check with the Atmospheric authorities to see if they would be allowed in to the planet's atmosphere. As she sat up in the pod and started strapping her armor on, she began to get nervous.

 _He_ was out there. _He_ was going to wake up. What the hell was she going to do about it? How was she going to face him? Surely... _surly_ the kiss had been good for him too. What was he possibly thinking?

Across the space on the other side of the ship, Kylo laid in his pod staring intently up at the ceiling. His hands were gripped to the blankets and he was trying to focus on slowing his breathing. He had already been awake for hours and the anticipation of seeing her was killing him.

He barely slept the night before, instead playing everything over and over and over in his head. At first it was enjoyable, but then he started to beat himself up. He couldn't be focusing on such foolishness, he had a mission to complete. He had a reputation to up hold. He couldn't afford to have _distractions._

He needed to just get up. Hunger was eating at him and he really needed to take a piss. He started to sit up in the pod and he grabbed his shirt that he discarded the night before and he cumbersomely maneuvered himself in the tight space to get the shirt back on. 

He ran his hands over his face and then through his hair before hitting the button to the pod door. The moment his pod door slid open... her's did the same across the space. 

They both awkwardly looked at each other, he with a dumbfounded look on his face, and her though the visor of her helmet. Neither of them said anything. Several awkward moments passed before she pushed herself up off the edge of her pod and made her way to the kitchenette. Kylo took that as his cue to just go to the 'fresher. 

When Kylo exited the 'fresher, she was nowhere to be seen and the privacy of her bed pod was closed again. He shrugged and grabbed himself something to eat before going back to his bed pod and similarly locking himself inside. 

Meira ate quickly, the whole time trying to slow her heart rate and breathing. _Why in all that is good did it have to be awkward now?_ She could only hope that in time it would pass and that if she didn't bring it up... neither would he. 

Meira finished her breakfast and exited her pod, relived to see him nowhere in sight and the door to his pod closed. She then made her way up to the cockpit where she sat down at the pilot's seat and began hailing the Atmospheric authorities. 

"Application number?" The woman on the other end asked.

"A-P- 8997." Meira recited from memory. 

"Hold please." The woman said. While she waited Meira sat back in her seat and tried to relax. 

Kylo had heard hear bed pod open again and then counted to ten before exiting his pod. He also was relieved to not so instantaneously come face to face with her again. He took the time while she was clearly up in the cockpit to stretch and fully dress himself, save his helmet and gloves. 

As he dressed himself, he could hear her modulated voice coming from the cockpit. As he finished tightening his belt around his waist he slowly walked up front to see her sitting in the pilot's chair, the bright light reflecting off the planet's surface filling the whole cockpit and glimmering off her helmet. 

Kylo thought for a moment how her helmet didn't fully match the rest of her armor. The helmet seemed finer, more expensive, and not to mention a completely different color. The rest of her armor was matte black. 

He noticed she was cracking her knuckles as egregious music played over the comm, indicating that she had been left on hold by the Atmospheric authorities. As he got closer to her, something out of the ordinary caught his eye. 

A singular lock of hair. 

Peeking out from between the high collar of her black undershirt and her helmet was a lock of chestnut colored hair. It appeared that she had missed the small strand as it came down from the nape of her neck and curled every so slightly. 

Meira knew he had entered the cockpit, nothing rarely snuck up on her... except Grogu. She tried to fight the urge to turn around and face him. She hoped he was just standing there looking at the planet's surface. 

So when she felt his fingers brush up against the back of her neck... she froze. 

Kylo had reached out, his fingers grazing the mere _half inch_ of exposed skin between her undershirt and helmet, and he took the lock of hair in between his fingers. He twirled it gently, noting how soft and silky it was, how it shined in the light. 

Meira could feel the slight tug on her that little lock of baby hairs she had at the nape of her neck. She knew she _should_ reach up and smack his hand away, but she didn't. Instead her eyes fluttered closed as she took in the sensation. The sensation sending shivers down her spine.

"You missed a piece." She heard him say in a soft, low voice. She turned around and was just about to say something when the music on the comm abruptly stopped.

"You still there?" The woman on the other end said.

"Ye... yes." Meira swiftly turned back around to face the comm and Kylo chuckled to himself before putting his gloves on and leaving the cockpit. 

"It seems like your application has been approved. You may start to make maneuvers to enter the planet. I am sending over coordinates to a landing pad for you to land on in the city of Darzo. From there a ground officer will go over entrance procedures. Welcome to Napta." The woman on the other end said. 

Meira did a slight happy dance in her seat at hearing that news. Forgetting for the briefest moment about her.... _problem_ in the back of the ship. For that was what he was quickly becoming to her... a problem. A problem because she kept thinking about him, even when all she wanted was to _not_ think about him.

Meira sighed and got up out of her seat and went to the back. She found him leaning against the kitchenette counter, feet crossed, one arm crossed over his chest, and taking bite into one of those purple fruits that Meira had packed from home.

"Our application was approved. You might want to get ready to enter the atmosphere." Meira said. She didn't even give him a chance to respond. She just abruptly turned and went back into the cockpit and began going over checks to get the ship ready. 

She was halfway through her checklist when he came up into the cockpit with her and sat down in the chair next to her. She paused what she was doing and just glanced at him, noting that he had put his helmet back on. For some reason that made her feel more at ease. The thought of having to stare at his face any longer was making her feel some sort of.... _way._

Meira finished her checklist and turned to him and nodded, and he nodded in return. She then began to maneuver the ship into position and throttled the thrusters. She inputted the coordinates and began their descent. 

The ship rocked and jolted, it wasn't too terrible, but once they had entered the planet's first two atmosphere layers, lights on the controls board began to blink.

"Dammit!" Meira said. Kylo watched as she calmly pressed a button here and there and the lights stopped blinking. Within a matter of moments they were through the atmosphere layers and the lush, jungle like surface of the planet came into view. 

"Now what?" Kylo asked.

"We have to report to some landing zone or another." Meira said. Two more times the lights blinked and beeped at Meira and they took the short flight to their destination. She landed the ship smoothly and powered it down.

"I think I blew a compressor or something." Meira said without turning to Kylo. Instead she just left the cockpit and began making her way to the back of the ship so she could exit the ship. The moment the ship's ramp was lowered, a Napta Ground Officer was right there to greet her.

"I'm going to have to ask you to remain on your vessel while we do an external inspection." The officer said.

"Are you kidding me!?" Meira said.

"We must check for foreign life forms. It's to cut down on invasive species that can be brought in from other planets." The officer said. Meira shook her head and just sat down at the entrance of the open door and waited. 

After a minute or two Kylo went to the back to see what was taking so long. He looked down at Meira and then out the door at the two officers now walking around the ship with mirrors and other inspection equipment. 

"Inspecting for _invasive species_ or whatever." Meira said.

"I already hate it here." Kylo said, turning and retreating back to the interior of the ship. 

In total the ordeal took an hour before the officers said that they were cleared to exit the ship. Both Kylo and Meira stood there with their arms crossed over their chests as the officer went over rules and regulations for off planet visitors. This was _by far_ the worst and most tedious experience the two had _ever_ had when it came to intergalactic travel. 

For the most part Kylo ignored everything the officer had to say and just closed his eyes under his helmet. When it was all said and done, he reopened his eyes to watch the little Mandalorian walking with purpose towards the other side of her ship. He bit his bottom lip under his helmet as he looked at how her leggings _still_ managed to make her ass look good. 

He caught up with her just in time to see her pulling open a side panel of her ship and looking inside. He stood a few feet away, but he could hear her grumbling under her breath. 

"It's one of the temperature coolant pumps. It'll need to be fixed before we fly it again, not to mention we can't even fly this thing where we _actually_ need to go. This whole planet is bullshit!" Meira said, kicking the panel closed in anger.

"Wait... wait....we can't fly... where?" Kylo asked.

"Did you listen to _anything_ that officer was saying?" Meira said.

"No... not at all."

"Since this is an _off planet_ vessel, we can only fly within city limits here in Darzo, _or_ we can fly to the northern most city Julo. Hask... the dipshit we're looking for... is in the northeastern quadrant of the planet, meaning we have to fly to Julo... leave the ship there... and travel _by foot_ to the village he is _suspected_ to be in." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning post of her weight onto one leg causing her hip to pop out in a way that made Kylo involuntarily look her up and down. 

"This is bullshit!" Kylo said after a moment.

"You're telling me... now I need to find a mechanic and get this pump fixed." She said, starting to walk away towards what appeared to be a nearby mechanical shop. 

Kylo closely followed her like a pathetic large shadow. He didn't know what to do with himself. He was "off duty" when it came to First Order work, and any power or influence he had he couldn't use here without raising alarms and breaking the planet's rules. 

He followed his little companion around form mechanic shop to mechanic shop. She was able to acquire the replacement pump that was needed, but as for replacing the old one, that was proving to be difficult.

"Yeah... yeah... yeah... I can do it.... 730 credits." Some grungy looking Toydarian said to her. The entire time Kylo had stayed silent during any and all of her exchanges with the mechanics. By now he couldn't stand it anymore. She had already paid _way_ too much for the simple pump and now she was getting yet another overinflated price to install the damn thing.

"No.... we're done here. I'll install it myself." Kylo said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her from the shop.

"Hey!!! What the hell!?" She said as he dragged her along.

"They're ripping you off. You already paid too much for the pump, I can't stand by and watch them try and rip you off more." He said.

"Oh..." Was all that she said as he pulled her along by the wrist back to the ship. She stood there holding the pump in her hands while he took off his helmet, cloak, and gloved and pulled open the side panel of the ship. 

"Where's the ship's tool box?" He said after looking inside the mechanical compartment.

"In the cabinet next to the carbonate machine." With long strides, Kylo went back to the other side of the ship to go get the tool box, when he returned he knelt down and began rummaging through the box and then looked up at the sky, noting how warm the day had gotten. 

Meira couldn't help but gawk at him as he removed his outer tunic leaving him just in his leather pants and undershirt. 

"Take a picture.... it'll last longer." He said to her as he got up and stood close to her. Meira didn't back away. He reached out and took the box that held the new pump, his fingers brushing over hers. As he turned away from her, Kylo smirked to himself, he could sense how nervous she was around him. 

The heat of the day was starting to get to Meira, so she left and went back inside the ship, locking herself in the 'fresher. She tore off her helmet and started at her face long and hard in the mirror. I was then that she noticed the strand of hair that still stuck out at the nape of her neck. She aggressively tucked it back into place. 

***

The entire time Kylo worked on replacing the pump, he couldn't help but fell _good_ about what he was doing. It had been a _very_ long time since he got to work hands on on a ship like this, he forgot how much he actually enjoyed doing mechanical work like this. If it had been truly up to him, be maybe would have just been a simple pilot working on his own ship.

Replacing the pump should have been an easy and quick swap out, but while he was under there he noticed a fuel line that was loose, so he took to tightening that, then he noticed a few wires out of place, so he fixed those. By the time he was finished, he had taken off his shirt and was using it to wipe grease and sweat off his face. 

When he crawled out of the mechanical compartment, the sun had already set, and sitting beside the mechanical toolbox was... _her._

She was sitting cross legged with her datapad propped up on one knee. He even noticed that she had brought out a canteen of water. He didn't want to assume if it was for him or not.

In truth... the canteen was for him. Meira couldn't help but notice how long he was working in the mechanical compartment and she knew how warm it was out. So after nervously pacing back and forth in the ship for a while, she filled up the canteen and went back outside to wait. 

"Water?" She nervously asked, holding up the canteen to him. He smirked and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair before taking three steps over to where she sat. 

Under her helmet, Meira tried to look anywhere _but_ him. Once again... he was shirtless, but _this time_ he was covered in sweat, grease, and dirt. Normally sweat, grease, and dirt were things that _should have_ been repulsive, but on _him_... it was making Meira's blood pressure rise. 

"Thanks." He said, taking the canteen from her and sitting down beside her.

"Is the pump replaced?" She asked, turning her attention back to her datapad.

"Yeah... and I tweaked some fuel lines and did some wire management. It was a mess down there." He said after taking a few gulps of water. 

"Oh... well... thank you." She responded. 

"No problem." He said, taking the canteen and dumping the rest of the water over his head. Meira quickly lifted up her datapad to prevent it from getting wet since he was close enough to her that the water fell from him and onto her leg.

"Hey!" She said.

"So... are we not going to talk about it?" He asked after a moment.

"Talk about what?" She said defensively.

"You know what." He said, reaching out and flicking the chin of her helmet. 

"What's there to talk about?" She said after a pause. 

"Whether or not you're going to let me do it again." He smirked. Under her helmet Meira was red with embarrassment and her eyes were wide. Again? He wanted to do it... _again?_ A million and one thoughts went through Meira's mind, mostly about how much she _also_ wanted to do it again. 

"You know I would be willing to accept it as payment for all this." He said motioning to all the tools left out.

"You have tools to put away.... and while you're at it... throw yourself in that box too since you're such a tool yourself!" She said quickly rising to her feet and rushing to the other side of the ship. 

Kylo flopped back onto his back and genuinely laughed while looking up at the darkening night sky. He laid there for a moment before starting to gather all the tools and clean up. With everything back where he had found it, Kylo climbed the ramp back into the main space of the ship, hitting the button to raise the ramp and close the hatch in the process. 

For a moment Kylo couldn't catch his bearings, it was pitch dark in the ship. The door to the cockpit had been shut and all the lights were off. As soon as the hatch locked into place, Kylo felt a hand reach out in the darkness and tug him forward by his belt. 

His body crashed against hers and he noted that all her armor was off. The bare skin of her hands quickly found his face and she pulled him down, his lips meeting hers. It was impulsive, it was passionate... and it was _sooo_ right. 

Her tongue darted out and slid against his bottom lip and he didn't even hesitate to grant her access. Kylo dropped his clothes and helmet that he had in his hands and brought his hands up and found her waist. He pushed her through the darkness until her back hit the edge of the counter in the kitchenette. He dipped his hands down, hooking them behind her thighs and lifting her up, placing her on top of the counter. 

They barely broke away from each other, their mouths aggressively fighting for dominance while their hands explored the planes of their bodies. The skin of Meira's ungloved hands felt like silk against Kylo's exposed flesh. His hands quickly found her breasts and through her clothes he began to fondle at the soft tissue, eliciting soft whimpers and moans from her. 

Kylo dared to open his eyes for the briefest moment, but in the darkness he couldn't see a damn thing... and he _liked it._ The depravation of his sight made things all the more so intense. He didn't want any of this to end. 

Meira had _never_ been kissed like this before. She had _never_ had hands on her like this before, and it was awakening something in her that she automatically knew was going to be dangerous. Meira couldn't help but arch her back, part her knees, and pull him closer to her. The scent of the grease and sweat on his skin was intoxicating to her, filling her senses with lust and desire. 

Kylo's mouth left hers and he began to kiss along her jaw and down to her neck, he frowned when his lips met the fabric of her turtle neck shirt. He dropped his hands from her waist and began to search for the hem of her shirt, but she grabbed his wrists and pulled them away.

"You smell like a Nerf herder." She crooned, pressing a hand to his chest and pushing him away. She hopped off the counter and he could hear her footsteps in the dark. Then.... he saw a flash of light.

Meira, keeping her back to him, reached inside the 'fresher and turned the light on. He blinked as he saw that only her back and the back of her head was visible to him. His eyes went up and down her backside, committing every curve to memory. She walked away and disappeared into her bed pod without ever turning around. 

Kylo was once again left standing there trying to catch his breath. He brought his hand to his crotch to adjust the raging erection that he was going to have to deal with in the shower. 


	7. Payback

Kylo Ren was awoken from his deep slumber by the soft hum of the ship engines. It didn't take him long to realize that the ship was airborne. The night before he had gone to bed with one of the worse cases of blue balls he has had since he was a teenager; and that was _after_ trying to find relief in the shower.

He stayed awake most of the night with the privacy door to his bed pod cracked open, hoping by some miracle that _maybe,_ just _maybe_ she would reappear. But she didn't. Sleep eventually found him some time after midnight, and now it was clear that she had gotten up well before he did.

Up in the cockpit, Meira was softly humming to herself under her helmet. She knew _damn well_ what she did last night and what _it_ did to him. She also took a guess as to _why_ he had taken so long in the shower.

Acting like that... being kissed like that... being touched like that... it all was a huge confidence boost. It made her feel powerful and in full control.... or did it?

She woke up early, dressed, ate, and got to work on getting the ship to the city of Julo. Aside from all the planet's funny rules and regulations, it really was a beautiful planet. A planet full of lush greenery, beautiful flowers, waterfalls, rivers, and elegant architecture.

Meira already knew that their target was not the brightest. She could tell based on the minimal information she had been given. This Eli Hask fellow most likely came to Napta thinking the First Order couldn't reach him here, he was living in a false sense of security, and was most likely just camping out in some small village hoping to get away with his crime.

_Stupid fool._

Meira heard the door to the cockpit slide open and she immediately felt Kylo's presence as he entered the space.

"Have a good night's sleep?" She asked as he flopped down in the copilot's seat.

"Shut up."

"I'll take that as a no then."

"Where are we going?" He asked as he looked out the windows of the cockpit at the lush greenery that they flew over.

"The city of Julo. From there we have to figure out how to get to the village Hask is hiding out in."

"This planet is bullshit... we can't fly our ship anywhere but two places?" He grumbled.

"You mean _my_ ship." She stated, reminding him fully that he was just a companion in all of this.

"Shut up..." He grumbled.

"Wow.... _really_ bad night of sleep then?"

"Gee I wonder why." He sarcastically said, slouching back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why don't you explain it to me then?" She said, flicking on autopilot and swirling her seat to face him. She crossed her legs and tilted her head, looking at him intently through the visor of her helmet.

"No... I don't think so." He replied with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Ok fine... whatever." She said, she went to turn her seat back around but found that it was frozen in place. Then she felt that invisible Force hand on both of her wrists, pining her to the armrests of her seat.

"Hey! Stop that!" She protested.

"I'm not going to _explain_ how that little stunt you pulled last night left me feeling... _I'm going to show you._ " He lowly said, slowly getting up from his seat. Her chair swirled back around to face, and she found that her ankles too were pinned to the seat, keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground.

Meria couldn't help that an excited heat speed over her body, that there were now butterflies in her stomach, and that her breathing increased. She was frozen and fully at his will.

Meira felt him rub the back of his fingers up and down the side of her neck and shoulder, gently pushing her head to the side giving him access to that _tiny_ sliver of flesh between her shirt collar and helmet. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt his lips leave hot wet marks against that small piece of skin.

She couldn't conceal her shaky breaths as his hands reached down her arms, over her stomach, and back up to her breasts. She had her armor on, but the sensation was still just as powerful. She squirmed in her seat as his large hands moved lower, eventually applying pressure to the tops of her thighs.

The whole time his lips never left that small sliver of flesh on her neck. He nibbled and sucked at her, thinking how she would look with a perfect ring of purple markings all around her throat.

Under her helmet, Meira kept her eyes pressed closed, trying to stifle any noises of pleasure that threatened to escape her lips. She only opened her eyes once more when his hands stopped moving and came to a rest on her shoulders. All at once, Meira felt a while _new_ sensation. Well... not _new_ new, but _different._ She felt that invisible hand between her legs working its way upwards, knocking her knees to the side.

She audibly gasped as it managed to find it's way to her clit, twirling over it, causing such intense pleasure unlike anything Meira had ever felt before.

"I _told_ you, I can move more than just things with it." He said, his voice deep and husky. Meira's eyebrows were knitted together and she aggressively bit on her bottom lip and tried to squirm in her seat. Her senses were climbing a mountain of pleasure and she oh so desperately wanted to crest it, and _just_ when she felt like she could.... everything stopped.

Kylo stepped away from her and released her from his force hold, quickly Meira made her seat turn around and stared at him through her helmet.

" _That's_ what it felt like." He said with a cocky grin before leaving her in the cockpit deprived and frustrated.

She would _for sure_ be getting him back later.

***

The flight to Julo was a rather short one. Meira had to circle around the city a few times calling in to various hangers and ship lots to see if they had availability. Not only did she had to find a suitable facility to hide her ship, but she also learned that not every hangar or lot welcomed off planet vessels.

It was early in the afternoon when she finally made a break with landing the ship. It was a dingy and shady ship yard on the outskirts of the city, and the only one who didn't seem to care that her ship was an off planet vessel. When Meira navigated the ship to the lot she groaned in frustration at seeing that it was more like a scrap yard than a landing lot. 

As she landed, the ship kicked up dust and debris from the dump that was around them. There were heaps of metal and ship parts piled higher than the ship itself, and there were haphazardly put together junk card droids limping around. 

"We're in Julo." Meira flatly said to Kylo as she passed him in the back of the ship. She hadn't seen him since the events of that morning. 

"Someone's in a bad mood." Kylo said as he stood up and smoothed out his outer tunic. All Meira did before hitting the button to the hatch was flip him off, which made him chuckle a bit before he put his helmet on. 

Bright light a a burst of muggy air filled the cabin of the ship as the hatch opened and the ramp lowered. Standing down on the ground was a Lizard type alien creature. Even though the air filters of Meira's helmet she could smell that the air reeked of ship oil, trash, and stagnate water.

"Ah ha.... welcome to Stuvie's Ship Yard... I... am Stuvie." The Lizard man said.

"You're who I spoke to over the comm?" Meira asked.

"That's me! It's just me here! Finest ship yard on this side of the city!" He said, extending his arms out. Meira looked around at all the rotting trash and debris that surrounded her. This most certainly was _not_ the nicest ship yard.

"Nice." Meira said.

"So... you off worlders eh?" Stuvie said, his four eyes glancing up to the top of the ship's ramp. Meira turned and saw Kylo standing leaning against the door frame of the ship with his arms crossed over his chest; and why the hell did he suddenly look _good_ in his helmet?

"Yeah... off world." Meira said.

"You two honeymooners or something?" Stuvie said as he started to walk around Meria's ship investigating it.

"NO!" Both Meria and Kylo said at the same time.

"Ah... so it's complicated... I see." Stuvie said with a chuckle.

"We're bounty hunters." Kylo said.

 _"I'm the bounty hunter.... you're an idiot."_ Meira thought to herself. 

"Ahh... ahhh... must be hunting someone important, off world bounty hunters dont come here too often. The regulations... too complicated." He said as he reached a clawed arm out and shook at the landing gear of Meria's ship.

"How do I know you aren't going to scrap my ship while I'm gone?" Meira said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I only scrap ship's that don't pay their landing fee. So do you plan to pay your landing fee?" He asked.

"Of course." Meira said.

"It's 10 credits a day." Stuvie said.

"We aren't entirely sure how long it's going to take to find our guy. What's the most amount of days I can pay for in advance?" Meria asked.

"Two weeks." Stuvie answered.

"And do you know how long it takes to travel to the Los-fawn village?" Meira asked.

"Los-fawn? You have to travel _that_ far? Shit... You might as well pay be three weeks then."

"Three!? I doubt it will even take us the two." Meria protested.

"Ahh... so they didn't tell you how off worlders can travel did they? Well first of all... you can only travel by _daylight,_ once the sun goes down you better find yourself off the roads or in an inn. Secondly, you can only travel either by foot, by public transport, or via invitation in someone's private vessel. As for getting to Los-fawn.... you'll find that public transport will get you there over the course of two days, then you'll have to walk two days until you get up to another public transport line.. then from there is another... two days. Then you get there, do your job, then it takes all that time to come back." Stuvie said.

"You're shitting me." Kylo groaned. 

"We Naptans like our independence from The Republic and The Order... our rules make it so that no one from those groups ever thinks about setting foot here."

"Where to the closest public transport?" Meria asked.

"You want to start your trek now? I wouldn't even try it now." Stuvie said.

"It's still early in the day!" 

"Ahh... but by the time you _walk_ to the nearest public transport stop, it will be sundown. Wait until morning, throw me an extra 10 credit's, and I'll take you there myself." Stuvie said as he began to walk away.

"DAMMIT!" Meira said once Stuvie was out of earshot. In anger Meira kicked a metal can sending it halfway across the lot.

"Has anyone ever told you you might have anger issues?" Kylo sarcastically asked. 

"Fuck you." Meira said as she stomped up the ramp.

"Sure... any time... just tell me when." He snarked as she passed. Meria just stopped and stared at him, a shocked look on her face under her helmet.

"You're a fucking tool." She finally said as she once again disappeared into the privacy of her bed pod.

***

Meira tried to keep to herself for the rest of the day. She had nothing better to do than to watch holodramas on her datapad. Inside her locked bedpod she tossed and turned trying to get in a comfortable postion to watch the screen.

She was frustrated. 

Frustrated both with the whole _situation_ with Napta and all the rules; and mostly frustrated with Kylo Ren.

This was unlike her. Very much unlike her. Lusting after a total stranger who was only meant to be a companion in all of this. Literally the only reason he is here is to kill the target, something, at this point, Meira would have no problem doing herself. 

Meira grumbled to herself as her armor pinched her yet again as she tried to get comfortable. So in yet more frustration, she began to tear her armor off, kicking it down to the foot of her bed. 

With her armor off, she checked the time on her data pad yet again. It was now evening and she was beginning to get hungry. Still grumbling to herself, she pulled her helmet over her head and smacked the button to open her bed pod door. 

She was met with Kylo sitting on the edge of his bed pod, holding a bowl of hot noodles in his hand and his datapad popped up on the side. She glanced at the screen and saw that he was watching some sort of tutorial on how to fix ship parts.

Once again, Kylo couldn't keep his eyes off her ass as she walked past him. His eyes remained fixed on her as his holo played in the background and he mindlessly scooped another spoonful of noodles into his mouth. 

He watched as she pulled out a bowl for herself, followed by a spoon, then he watched as she struggled to reach up into the top cabinet that housed the boxes of dehydrated noodles. For a moment Meira hung her head low and put both her hands on her hips. 

Kylo put his bowl of noodles down and got up just as Meira began to hoist a leg up on to the counter to climb up on top of it. Kylo crossed the space and caged her between the counter and himself.

"I've got it." He smirked, effortlessly reaching above her, pressing his pelvis into her backside as his hand went right for the box of noodles. It happened extremely quickly, but she sure as hell _felt it,_ and it caused Meria's cheeks to flush under her helmet and her eyes go wide. 

"Here you go." He said, handing her the box.

"Thanks." She nervously said as her fingers fumbled with the packaging on the noodles. Kylo smirked and rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek as he stepped away and sat back down on the edge of his bed. Under her helmet Meria looked him up and down as he stepped away.

Quickly Meira made her noodles and scurried back to her bed pod.

_Oh it was on now._

***

The hours ticked by slowly, and it was dark outside the ship now. Meira eventually locked up the ship closing all the doors and ensuring total darkness. Kylo was munching on chips while lounging in his pod while half paying attention to a holo on his datapad, the only light source in the entire ship. 

In the corner of his eye he saw Meira's pod open, but he didn't care to look right away. It was only when he saw the blinding light from the 'fresher that he glanced over, and when he did, he almost choked on a chip. 

Her back was to him and once again he could only see the back of her head. Her hair was unbraided and long, cascading down towards the middle of her back. All he could see was her dark silhouette since the light from the 'fresher was coming from in front of her. 

He then realized that she was wrapped in only a towel.

Before Meira fully entered the 'fresher, she dropped the towel and kicked it inside. Shutting and locking the door behind her. By then Kylo was on his feet and across the space, his hands pressed against the metal door.

"You fucking tease." Kylo said.

"Payback's a bitch isn't it?" She said from the inside. Using both his hands, he flipped off the closed door before running his fingers though his hair and pacing back and forth.

He was _beyond_ frustrated. He couldn't remember a time, if there ever _was_ a time, where he wanted someone as badly as he wanted her. And he's never even seen her face!

"Oh you just wait till you come back out here... you just wait." He whispered to himself while pointing at the closed 'fresher door. He listened as she took the _slowest_ shower in the galaxy. Anxiously he paced back and forth, palming over his raging erection through his pants. 

All he had seen was her _shadow_ , why was he being like this?

Eventually the shower turned off, and Kylo froze in place. He took his position outside the 'fresher door. As he suspected, she had turned off the light before exiting. As soon as the door slid open he grabbed her.

He had her by her biceps and he literally lifted her off her feet. She clutched at her towel while she kicked her feet back and forth.

"Hey!!!!" she squealed. To be honest, she was trying not to giggle. 

"I don't _do_ teasing."

"Well I thought that what we were doing!" She said. He frowned when he heard that she somehow had her helmet on. Taking a step to the right, while still holding her up, he slammed her back against the wall, the back of her helmet clanking against the metal.

"Take that off." He growled.

"Why?"

"You know why."

"I'm not ready to show you my face."

"I can't see shit in this darkness anyway, so what does it matter?" He said. Meira had stopped kicking and just gave into the fact that he was able to hold her up by her arms as if she were a toddler. 

"Well then why should I take it off?"

"Because... you know damn well this was going to happen, so it might as well happen now!" He said. Meira thought about it for a moment... only for a moment... before she lifted her hand up as much as she could and pushed her helmet off her head, dropping it to the floor. Her wet hair flowed out, spilling over Kylo's hands and forearms.

Slowly, he lowered her to her feet and brought both his hands up to her face. The last two times, _she_ had initiated with _him,_ but this time he brought his mouth to hers. Pushing her further against the wall, his fingers tangled in her hair as his mouth feverishly devoured hers. 

Meria couldn't help but moan into the kiss, keeping one hand on her towel she brought the other up to his hair, running her fingers though and pulling a bit, eliciting a soft whimper from him. His mouth left hers as he dared to explore the rest of her face with his lips, his head dipping low to her neck, his tongue picking up cool water droplets that lingered on her freshly showered skin. 

Wrapping one arm tightly around her waist, he led her her towards the center of the ship before pulling her down on to the floor. It was all or nothing now. She let go of her towel and he tore it away from her.

He couldn't see a thing, so he just let his mouth be his eyes. 

It had been so long for Meira. So very... _very_ long. And it had _never_ been like this. _Never._ Before... with Jed... it was always quick and lacking. She had never had someone caress her and explore her body the way Kylo was now doing. 

She shuttered as she felt his hair tickle over her nipples. She loudly and unashamedly moaned when he sucked that same nipple into his mouth. 

Kylo never realized that he would enjoy this so much with a lack of sight. In fact, for him he was beginning to like things better in total darkness. It was more intense. More exhilarating. 

His hands began to explore every square inch of her frame. His fingertips played with the contours of her hip bones and abs, all the while he sucked away alternating between her tits. He was relishing in the moans and whimpers that came from her mouth. He desperatly wanted to at least know what her lips looked like. He already knew they were soft and plump, but he wanted to know how pronounced her cupid's bow was and what color they were.

Thinking about her lips moved him to crawl back up her, bringing his mouth back to hers. She began to pull at his shirt, eventually coaxing him to take it off completely. He pressed his chest against hers, shivering slightly since she was so warm and soft. 

The ship was only filled with the sound of their bodies on the floor and their soft moans. Meira was _throbbing_ in discomfort, she desperately needed relief. She grabbed his hand and pushed it down her body, forcing his fingers to find her folds. 

Kylo could _swear_ he was looking right into her eyes, but the darkness prevented that from actually happening. His jaw dropped when he felt how wet and ready she was. 

"Fuck... you're so wet." He said.

"Take off your pants." She firmly ordered. Kylo wasn't used to being bossed around, heck, no one bossed Kylo around. Yet _she_ did. He didn't need to be told twice. Heck if she told him to do twenty pushups right on the spot he would do it if it meant she would let him get inside her. 

Kylo made quick work of his pants, tossing them up to his bed pod before finding one of her hands and bringing it down to his cock.

"You want it?" He asked, her fingers wrapping around it tightly. Meira's eyebrows were raised and her mouth was hanging open, he felt _massive._ She almost couldn't close her fingers entirely around him. She stoked him up and down a few times to try and gauge his length, and she couldn't decide if she wanted to be even more turned on or terrified in that very moment. 

"Yes.. I want it." She finally said. 

"Good."He said before knocking her knees to the side and settling between them. He ran his dick through her folds, coating his length in her juices, the head of his cock rubbing over her clit. 

" _Pl....Please!"_ She begged now. Kylo naturally found her entrance and pushed though. Tears cascaded down Meria's cheeks, not from pain, no... _from pleasure._ He stretched her open wide and made her feel so full and complete. 

"Oh... fuck..." He moaned out, feeling how wet and tight she was around him. Kylo began to slowly move his hips, pulling out of her at a leisurely pace. Meira whimpered at feeling him depart from her, but before he completely removed himself, he pushed right back in. 

He began to pick up his pace, slamming in to her, stretching her wide. Incoherent words and moans spewed out of Meira's mouth. The cabin of the ship now filled with the sounds of their skin slapping together and their collective sounds of ecstasy. 

It had _never_ felt this good for Meira before... _never._ Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she couldn't help but arch her back and pull him closer to her. How was it possible for it to feel _this good?_

"Do that thing again..." Meira breathlessly said.

"What.... thing...?" Kylo responded between thrusts.

"Invisible thing.... Force..." She moaned. In the darkness, Kylo smirked. It was like breathing to him, using The Force, it took little to no effort. Meira's moans and cries increased once she felt that twirling sensation on her clit. Her muscles began to tense and shake, and Kylo could literally feel her inner walls get tighter... and tighter. 

All at once Meira crested her peak, an orgasm overtaking her sending her spasming and crying. Her nails digging deeply into the flesh of his shoulder blades. As she came down from her wave, Kylo could feel his rapidly approaching. 

"Fuuuuck...I'm gonna cum... where do you...?"

"Inside... It's fine.... I have the implant." She quickly answered. Kylo immediately thought about how much he loved that tiny little implant that was somewhere inconspicuously inside of her. Because to cum anywhere besides _inside_ her perfect pussy would be a travesty. 

Kylo crested his peak, twitching and spreading hot ribbons of cum inside her. There was no _real_ light anywhere inside the ship, yet as he came all he saw was blinding white bursts of light. Kylo fell forward, his bodying coming to rest on top of her. 

As clarity began to set in, he began to notice the smell of her hair. Her hair that was still wet and clearly just freshly shampooed. He pulled himself from her and rolled off to the side, but pulled her to be on top of him. Both of them laid there in total silence allowing what had just happened to settle in.

Kylo desperately wished to know what she looked like. He already had a gut feeling that she was drop dead gorgeous. Yet he was still challenging himself to actually _earn_ that privilege. He chuckled for a moment at thinking about how he had just got to fuck her brains out, yet he had no clue what she looked like. It felt a bit backwards. There had to be _something_ he could know about her now.

"Are you allowed to tell me your name now?" He softly asked, his nose finding her forehead in the darkness. 

"My name?" She breathlessly asked.

"Just your first name. I _did_ just fuck your brains out after all, so I think you owe me that." He chuckled. He was right. Jed knew her name _and_ got to see her face, and Jed _never_ made her cum first like that. Jed rarely ever made her cum at all. 

"Meira... my name is Meira." She softly said, praying to all that was good in the Galaxy that she wouldn't regret that decision. 

" _Meira..._ " He softly repeated, pulling her closer to him so he could feel her softness even more and smell the fresh scent of her hair.

Kylo Ren was _screwed_. 

*********

**A/N**

**So I feel like I totally threw out any build up and got straight to the chase. Like we all knew what was going to happen. It's why we are all here.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**xoxo,**

**Nia 💋**


	8. Traveling

Scientific studies show that sleeping in total and complete darkness has its benefits. Exposure to light during the night can mess with the brain's ability to produce melatonin and the body's natural sleep cycle. Science also has proven that sleeping in total darkness helps fight against depression.

Kylo found all of these things to be 100% true as he slowly awoke from the best night sleep he had had in recent memory. He had pulled Meria off the floor and up into his bed pod, where they fucked one more time before both passing out into an uninterrupted slumber. Rolling over on the soft mattress, Kylo brought his arm around her and pulled her tightly to him, her face instinctively burying into his chest.

Kylo was sure to pull up the sheets and blanket and tuck her in, she was so warm, he didn't want her to get cold. He would have continued to lay in complete and total darkness for the rest of time if it meant being with her. He thought about how unusual this all was; how this person who's name he had just learned, who's face he had not seen, whom he knew next to nothing about, was someone he was _strongly_ drawn to. He wanted this new found peace he had just discovered to go on forever, but that was not meant to be, since they were both startled awake by the sound of someone on the outside of the ship banging against the door.

"What the..." Meria groaned, grogginess and sleep in her voice.

"I'll check, roll over." Kylo said. They did a little tango, Meira rolling towards the middle of the bed and Kylo rolling over her to exit the pod. In the darkness, Kylo found his pants, hastily pulled them on, and then stumbled to the door.

"I'm going to open the door." He told her.

"Mmmm... kay." She yawned, he heard her rustling around in his bed and he turned his back to her before hitting the button for the door. The door slid open and Kylo's face was blinded by the bright morning light. He had to squint and shield his eyes, taking a moment before he could see who was on the other side.

"Morning!!!!!!" It was Stuvie.

"Morning." Kylo grumbled.

"My offer still stands to take you to the public transport, I leave in an hour, don't be late!" Stuvie said.

"Alright." Kylo said as Stuvie began to walk away. Kylo turned away from the open door, the morning light now flooding the cabin of the ship. He looked towards his bed pod and saw that her bare back was to him, the sheets cascading around her hips and legs, and her long hair flowing everywhere. Yet again... he still could not see her face.

He took a good few seconds to look at what he could of her before he shut the door and fumbled his way in darkness back to his pod.

"It was the lot lizard." Kylo said as he climbed over her and back into his spot on the bed.

"A hooker?"

"No... the lizard guy... what do you mean a hooker?" Kylo questioned with a baffled sound in his voice.

"Lot Lizards... my.... clan leader.... he always referred to hookers that banged on ship doors in ship yards as Lot Lizards." Meira chucked, having almost slipped up and said "Dad".

"Oh... well he said he can take us to the public transport in an hour." Kylo said, reaching out and finding the back of her head so he could run his fingers through her hair. He felt Meira shift away and the bed start to move. He reached out to her side of the mattress and found it to be empty.

"Where did you go?" He sadly said into the darkness.

"We have to pack and get ready." She was already across the space and he could hear her gathering her armor out of her bed pod. He heard the sound of her bare feet pitter pattering against the metal floor. As much as he squinted in the darkness he could not see her or what she was up to.

Again Kylo was blinded by a flash of light as she _once again_ , turned on the 'fresher light, showing off her bare back before disappearing inside.

"You're a tease!" Kylo yelled out at her.

"You're so easy to tease!" She replied with a giggle.

***

Within the hour, both Kylo and Meira were fully dressed and had gathered what belongings they could for however long they would be gone. Meira, always so anxious to not have enough supplies, sat on the ground counting out food rations for her bag while Kylo leaned against the counter in the kitchenette eating one of the last Purple fruits that Meira had packed.

"What are these called?" Kylo asked before biting into the fruit.

"No idea."

"Where do they come from?"

"No idea."

"Where did _you_ get them from?" Kylo said, rolling his eyes at her. Meira was back to being slightly difficult and not being very forthcoming with her answers. Meira just stared at him from under her helmet. She most certainly wasn't going to say: _"Oh they're my mom's favorite, I have no idea where she gets them from. She orders them special from the village merchant on our home planet."_

"I picked them up from a random merchant, they looked good." Meira answered. The answer seemed to satisfy Kylo since he shrugged and popped the last bit go fruit in his mouth.

"You ready?" Meira asked him as she slung her bag over her shoulders and reached into a nearby storage cabinet and pulled out the Beskar Spear.

"Woah... what the fuck are you doing with that thing?" Kylo said as he started to put his helmet on.

"I'm a Mandalorian, weapons are part of my religion." She said as she fastened the spear across her back as well before hitting the button to the hatch door of the ship. For the ten millionth time that morning alone, Kylo stared a little too long at Meira's ass before he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulders.

Unsurprising to either of them Stuvie was right outside the ship waving his lizard hands enthusiastically as they walked down the ramp.

"Right on time!" Stuvie said.

"Wouldn't want to be late." Meira replied.

"Well... follow me... but first... the unsavory part."

"Oh... right..." Meira said, reaching into her utility belt and pulling out her communicator. When she clicked on the screen, her eyes went straight to the four missed notifications. All of which had come from her family. One from Grogu, one from her mother, and two from her father. Under her helmet, she rolled her eyes.

"I can transfer you credits now."

"Certainly." Stuvie said. It took only a matter of moments for Meira to transfer the allotted funds and exchange modes of communication with Stuvie. Meria was sure to communicate with him in the event they would be late to returning to the ship.

With that all taken care of, Meira walked around her ship to make sure everything was secure and locked up before they followed Stuvie to his ridiculously small Speeder.

"It's a tight squeeze, but we'll make it work." Stuvie said as he hopped into the pilot's seat. The back bench were Meira and Kylo would have to sit was ridiculously small. The two of them squeezed in the back with their belongings, their sides pressed to each other.

Kylo lifted his arm up and put it up around Meira's shoulders, she didn't say anything or look at him, but under her helmet she was gnawing at her bottom lip in yet another fit of nervousness.

Stuvie drove the speeder and talked the whole time. All he did was tell pointless stories about things that happened at various locations as they drove past them. It was an agonizing hour long trip to the Public Transport station. 

Meira politely thanked Stuvie and gave him his ten credits before following Kylo into the station.

"I thought he would never shut up." Kylo said.

"Same." Meira responded as she began to try and decipher one of the maps that detailed how the system worked. At that moment they were just outside Julo city limits, the transport would take them into the city, and from there it appeared to be a labyrinth of stops, stations, transfers, and chaos. 

"We need to get on the yellow line that leads east, and we have to take that for fourteen stops, then we have to get on the red line heading north for three stops, after that we need to figure out how to get to the purple line." Meria said, but Kylo wasn't paying attention at all. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he was observing his surroundings intently, annoyed at the whole situation.

"Are you even paying attention!?" Meira snapped at him.

"Yeah, yeah, yellow line... east... fourteen stops." Kylo repeated back to her.

"Good... let's go." Meira said, once again leading the way. Meira was slightly optimistic. The station wasn't crowded and there were few people on the transport when they boarded. But soon her optimism faded as the transport got closer and closer to the city. The closer they got to the city, the more life forms boarded the transport and the more chaotic it got. 

They were 12 stops into their first leg of their Public Transport Journey when the transport halted completely inside a dark underground tube. They were packed into the transport like a can of sardines. Shoulder to shoulder they stood amongst other lifeforms, droids, and other creatures. In the darkness somewhere a baby started to cry, and Meira began to grimace when the foul body odor of some nearby life form made it's way into her helmet.

 _"We apologize for the delay. There is a transport on the platform. This transport will be moving again shortly."_ The automated voice echoed out over in the transport. 

Kylo didn't like this. Actually... he hated this. Kylo was fiercely gripping the strap of his bag that hung on his shoulder with one hand and with the other he was holding on to the handle bars that hung from he transport ceiling. The leather of the gloves squeaking and cracking under the force of his grip. 

Meira could sense his announce as he stood just a hairbreadth behind her. She was annoyed too. Crammed into a hovering tube that shot through under ground tunnels, packed with all sorts of strangers was not how Meira liked to spend her time. 

Through the crowd of life forms a baby continued to cry and someone was coughing up a lung. Meria jumped slightly when she felt a hand light brush against her ass. Under her helmet she rolled her eyes and slightly turned to look at Kylo; but he had his head hanging backwards while looking up at the ceiling of the transport.

The transport jerked and began to move once more, eventually exiting the underground tunnel and stopping at it's next station. Many life forms got off but many more also got on. It must have been rush hour in the city, since it would appear that thousands of people were trying to move all at once. 

They now only had one more stop to go before they needed to transfer to a different transport. Once again the transport shifted and reentered an underground tube. Meira was startled _again_ when she felt a hand _grab_ her ass this time.

"Quit it!" Meria said, turning to Kylo.

"Hmmm? What?" He said to her. 

"Quit grabbing my ass!" She whispered to him. 

"I'mnot grabbing your ass." He said. The color from Meira's face drained under her helmet. If it wasn't him.... then _who_ was it? Kylo was immediately thinking the same thing. Kylo was scanning their surroundings. He was the tallest person on the transport, but the transport was so jammed packed that it was hard to see everything that was going on. 

Kylo was on full alert now. Just as the transport exited the underground tube to enter the station, Kylo saw a blue scaly hand reaching towards Meria. Kylo grabbed the hand just as it was about to make contact with Meria again.

The transport entered the station and life forms began to move all around, but Kylo had a death grip on the wrist of Meira's groper. Meira felt the slight struggle behind her as Kylo yanked a blue skinned Mythrol male out of the crowd. It was their station to get off at anyway, so nonchalantly, Kylo dragged the creature off the transport while it struggled against his death grip.

"Hey! Hey! Stop it! What's the matter with you!?" The creature said as Kylo found sanctuary in a secluded alleyway in the station. Kylo turned around and full on grabbed the Mythrol by his robes, lifting him up off his feet and slamming him against the wall.

"Ch.... chill!" The Mythrol said, the wind knocked out of him from Kylo's impact.

"What's the matter with you!? Groping women on the transport!" Kylo snarled. Meira just stood there and watched at the entrance of the alley way, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Wh...what? Me? I would never!" The Mythrol lied.

"LIAR!" Kylo all but yelled, now getting heated with jealous anger. 

"Listen! Listen! I didn't know she was your girl... I mean no disrespect!" The Mythrol started to plea. 

"You shouldn't be touching _anyone_ regardless of who they're with or not with!" Meira said stepping forward. 

"I mean... can you blame me? She's got a nice ass." The Mythrol chuckled at Kylo. While still holding the creature up, Kylo swung back and punched him in the face.... _hard._ Meria heard that Kylo probably broke some bones in the creature's face.

"Hey... that's enough." Meira calmly said, reaching out to Kylo and putting a steady hand on his arm. The small contact from her hand and the softness of her voice calmed Kylo slightly. He lowered the Mythrol down on to his own feet, the creature now grumbling and cursing due to the pain.

"My nose! You broke my fucking nose!" He cried as he fell to his feet in front of Kylo.

"I should take your hand for touching her!" Kylo said, but Meria stepped in between.

"I think you taught him his lesson." Meira said, taking Kylo's hand and pulling him away. They left the injured Mythrol in the alley way crying as Meira tugged a still fuming Kylo along to their next transport. 

Meira managed to usher Kylo on to the Red line transport which, thankfully, was less crowded than the yellow line had been. They were actually able to sit down on the transport seats as the transport began to move.

"Thank you." Meira said after a while.

"You shouldn't have to deal with that." Kylo grumbled.

"It is what it is." Meira said, crossing her legs at her ankles and leaning back on the seat. As the minutes went by, kylo calmed down more, eventually settling down on the seat and leaning back next to Meira. 

"How long are we on this one?" He asked.

"Two more stops." She replied. 

"Then what?"

"We find the purple line... I explained this. Were you not listening again?"

"No... I never listen." He responded. 

" _Clearly..."_ Meira scoffed. Soon, they arrived at their stop and found it to be in the deep heart of Julo. They had spent their entire morning thus far traveling and they were no where near close to getting _out_ of the city and on the other side. 

Meira quickly found a Transport map and started searching for the purple line. She wanted to slam her head against a wall when she figured out that they would need to _walk_ seventeen blocks to the purple line station.

"So where's the purple line?" Kylo finally asked.

"We have to walk seventeen fucking blocks!" Meira said in anger. "I hate it here!" She added as she started to march in the direction leading to the line. Kylo groaned to himself as he started to walk after her. 

It was exhausting, overwhelming, and confusing. The city of Julo was intense. It was filled with loud creatures, ships, speeders, music, and just _noise_ in general. It also wasn't the cleanest. They stepped over piles of trash as they walked, tried their best to avoid beggars on the street, and they tried their best not to lose each other in the chaos of it all. 

Finally, with their feet aching, and hunger in their bellies, they arrived to the purple line station. They entered the station and waited and waited and waited for the transport to arrive. The other transports had been arriving every five minutes, but a good fifteen had passed. Frustrated, Meira went up to the station attendant to ask what was going on.

"So? What's the news?" Kylo asked, his legs spread out on a nearby bench and his bag at his feet.

"It comes _every hour._ " Meira said, hanging her head low. When Meira lifted her head again, she sat Kylo patting the seat next to him. Dragging her feet, she plopped down.

"This fucking sucks." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Agreed." Kylo said, crossing his arms too and leaning some of his weight on her. Neither of them said anything to each other. They just sat there, stewing in their collective frustration. The minutes ticked by slowly and Meira started to pass the time by watching rats playing in the transport tracks. Finally... _Finally..._ they heard the sound of the transport approaching. 

"How long are we on this one?" Kylo asked.

"We take it as far as it goes." Meira said. Kylo stood first as the Transport approached and slung his bag back over his shoulder before extending a hand to Meira. Taking his hand, Kylo pulled Meira to her feet and walked with her into the transport. They found an empty seat at the back of the transport and sat down; making themselves comfortable for however long this ride was going to be.

***

The transport took them out of the city limits. _Finally_. Kylo was zoned out staring at the farmland that whirled by as the transport sped down its tracts. Napta was an interesting planet. It was mostly jungle, but in some areas, like just outside the city of Julo, large portions of land had been cleared for agriculture. 

Kylo tilted his head and looked over at Meira, who's head was resting on his shoulder. He could tell by the steady pace of her breathing that she was asleep. Ever so lightly, he tapped his helmet against hers, stirring her from her nap.

"Did I fall asleep?" She said, grogginess clearly in her voice.

"Yeah... we're out of the city." He said, nodding his head towards the window. 

"Thank the gods!" Meria exclaimed. 

"The automated speaker came on and said there's five more stops until the end of the line, and it's getting late." Kylo said, noting how low the sun was now on the horizon. 

"We'll need to find a place to stay for the night." Meira said.

"What _actually_ happens if they catch us out?"

"Once again... you weren't listening, back when we first got here... we'll be attested and deported off the planet, no questions asked."

"Hey... no need for the attitude."

"It's been a day."

"You could say that again." Kylo agreed. 

The last few stops on the transport quickly came and went, and soon Kylo and Meira found themselves standing on some remote platform in the middle of nowhere. In the distance they could see what looked to be the lights of a nearby town, so they went in that direction. 

Sure enough it was a small town. The locals stared at them as they walked passed, heading straight for the town's only Inn and tavern. For it being a small town, the tavern was relatively packed and loud, almost as loud as the city had been. 

"I've only got one room left, twenty credits for the night." The innkeeper said.

"Of course... we'll take it." Meira said, putting credits down on the counter.

"Great. Fourth floor, last door on the right. It's a shared 'fresher on the third floor, that door is painted yellow." The innkeeper said, tossing Meira a room key. 

They both felt like they had cement in their boots as they climbed the stairs, finally coming to the top floor. They pushed through the room door and saw that it was the tiniest room they had ever seen. The one bed in the room took up most of the space. It was so small that Meira had to sit on the bed in order for Kylo to close the door.

"I'm going down to get food... do you want anything?" Kylo asked.

"No... I'll eat what I brought."

"Are you sure?" Kylo asked, sincerity in his voice.

"I'm sure... just... knock before you come back." Meira said as she started to rummage through her bag. Kylo nodded and made sure to lock the door behind himself as he left. He did a quick surveillance of the upper floor, finding that they were the only ones currently up there. He didn't know why, but he just deeply felt that he didn't want anything bad to happen to her in his absence. 

Inside the room, Meira took off her helmet and massaged her scalp. Wearing the heavy thing all day did take a toll. She ripped into a packet of dried meat and got to eating. It wasn't much, but it was all she was in the mood for. She smiled as it brought back fond memories of when her dad would take her bounty hunting. 

Din rarely ever wanted to sleep in town when he was hunting. So he would always pack these dried meat packs and that was what they lived off of. As Meira chewed away on her meager dinner, she scrolled through her communicator, looking at the messages from her family.

**_"Honey... I wish you would have told me, please be safe. Love mom."_ **

_"YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS HOME."_ -Din

 _"Did you make it? Keep me posted."_ -Grogu

 _"I'm sorry... I'm proud of you... I just want you to be safe."_ -Din

Meira chuckled at her family's messages, how typical they were. She scolded away and typed out a message to Grogu:

 _"I made it safe. On the hunt now. It may take a few weeks. How's dad?"_ Meira sent.

 _"Hey! Good to hear. Dad is good. No change. Doctor prescribed medication. Seems to help."_ Grogu instantly replied.

**_"I'll try and keep you updated every few days. Tell mom and dad I love them, and I love you too. Good night."_ **

_"nite"_ Grogu responded. 

Meira sat alone in the peace and quite for a while long after she finished eating. Napta had two moons and both of them shined brightly through the bedroom's window. She was enjoying the sight of them when she heard a knock on the door.

"It's me." Kylo said from the other said.

"Come in." Meira said, after putting her helmet back on. Kylo shuffled into the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. He pulled off his helmet and stared at her for a good moment. He noted how the moonlight gave the bed under the window a distinct spotlight, and how it glimmered off her helmet. 

"Was your dinner good?" Meira asked as she watched him now start to undo his boots.

"It was ok. I was probably better off eating what you ate."

"All I had was jerky."

"I'm exhausted."

"Me too." Meria said, pulling off her own boots and finding a spot on one side of the bed. Kylo continued to strip himself until he was just down to his leather pants. 

"You're going to sleep in your armor?" He asked.

"It's... not safe." Meira responded noting how exposed they were with the window over the bed and the loud tavern below. 

"We're both heavily armed. No one is going to mess with us." Kylo said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

" _I'm_ armed. I haven't seen a single weapon on you." She replied, rolling onto her side and propping her head up on her elbow. Kylo just chuckled and took something off his belt. It looked like a metal cylinder, but harsher. He flipped a switch and the thing roared to life. A crackling and shaking beam of plasma.

_A lightsaber_

"Do you know what this is?" Kylo asked.

"A lightsaber?" Meira answered. Of course she knew... Grogu had one. He never used it or took it out, but he had shown her once before. Grogu's was _nothing_ like Kylo's though. Grogu's had been smaller, sleeker, and was the color green; and it didn't crack and cackle like Kylo's did.

"Ahh... so you know."

"I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two." She said as he powered down the weapon. 

"It can slice through anything."

"Not beskar." Meira said with an air of arrogance in her voice.

"Right.... _not_ Beskar." Kylo frowned.... how did she know _that_? Kylo placed his saber on the nightstand that was on what would be his side of the bead and leaned over towards Meira, putting both hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" She breathlessly asked as his fingers went straight for her belt.

"Getting you comfortable." He deliciously smirked. 

"Quit it!" Meira giggled, batting his hand away.

"Fine... suit yourself... I was going to make sure you slept good again." He said as he stared to _pretend_ to make himself comfortable on the other side of the bed.

"And how were you going to do that?" Meira asked, her interest peaked. It was easy during the stress of traveling to forget about what they had done the night before, but now that they were alone and the day was done... her mind was wandering back to the night before. How his hands had been all over her, how he felt moving inside of her, and most especially... how many times he had made her cum. 

Kylo reached for her hips again, pulling her by her utility belt and positioning her in the middle of the bed. He slowly undid her belt, pulling it off of her and tossing it over to his pile of clothes. He then made quick work of the armor around her legs, leaving her in only her leggings. Slowly, his hands went back up her legs, his fingers finding the waist band of her leggings. He aggressively yanked them down, passed her hips, taking her panties along with them.

With a cocky look on his face, Kylo lifted up Meira's leg by her ankle and pressed his lips to the inside of her calf. Her whole body erupted with heat and want. Under her helmet her eyes rolled to the back of her head and as he kissed his way up the inside of her leg, she let out an audible moan. 

His mouth was working higher and higher, now on the inside of her thigh. Was he going to eat her out? Meira had heard about the act before, she had wondered about it, but she had never had it done on her. Reaching down, Meira ran her fingers through Kylo's hair and caressed the side of his face, urging him on further. 

Before he was able to part her legs fully, Kylo stopped and got up. For a moment he looked at her, half her body exposed to him and bathed in moonlight. He noted her olive toned tanned skin, the birth marks that dotted her here and there, and how she had her fingernails and toenails painted a dark maroon color. He supposed he would settled for seeing her one little piece at a time. 

"Why'd you stop?" Meira wined. 

"To get you more comfortable." He said, reaching for her hand and pulling at the armor around her forearm. Under her helmet, Meira was smiling like an idiot. She thought back to how aggressive he had gotten with that Mythrol, how quick he was to defend her in that situation. She thought for the briefest moment to take off her helmet. 

As Kylo reached for the strap keeping the breastplate of her armor on, Meira glanced at the nightstand and caught sight of his Lightsaber, and she was immediately reminded of Grogu. Grogu had a lightsaber... and Grogu had the same force powers that Kylo had. The Empire had done bad things to Grogu, they had put her family though a lot. Meira turned away and steadied her breath.

No... She wasn't going to show him her face. 

Kylo left her in just her undershirt before he got off the bed and began rummaging through his bag. He pulled out his cloak and brought it back over to the mattress. He brought the cloak over himself and then turned his attentions back to her legs, picking up kissing the insides of her thighs where he had left off. 

"If you want to take it off... you can... I won't look." He said, pulling his cloak up over both his head and himself. She could feel his breath settling closer and closer to her core before his lips pressed just outside her folds. She couldn't help but let out a louder moan and spread her knees wide for him. 

Under the cloak, in the dim light that managed to shine through the thick fabric, he could see her glistening core, wet, swollen, and pulsating for him. It made him salivate thinking about what she tasted like. He snaked his arms and hands up around her hips to hold her steady in place before flattening his tongue and licking her up from her opening to her clit. Up above, Meira couldn't help but moan deeply and loudly as the new sensation overtook her. 

Twice more Kylo licked her slowly and thoroughly like that, savoring her like she was a sweet candy long desired. Pursing his lips he brought them to her bundle of nerves, kissing her lightly a few times there, her hips bucking up into his face, desirous of more sensations. He then began to _suck_ on her, alternating a sucking sensation with a twirling sensation with his tongue. 

Meira's world was exploding. She had _never_ felt a symphony of ecstasy like that before. She was having trouble catching her breath, and it was beginning to feel very claustrophobic in her helmet. Checking once more to ensure his head was secure under the cloak, Meria tore off her helmet.

Kylo paused under the cloak when he heard her unhindered whimpers and cries. He smirked and brought his mouth down again, this time bringing a hand into the mix. Slowly he pushed one finger into her entrance, and then another. Twisting and pushing and pulling in and out of her, he worked her. The sound of her arousal audible as his fingers worked.

He could feel the pressure building inside of her, how her walls tightened, how her moans and whimpers became more erratic. Meira pushed her hand down under the cloak to grab at his hair, wanting more pressure on her clit. He gave her exactly was she desired. 

As her walls tightened around his fingers, Kylo felt around for a _particular_ spot inside of her. A spot, which once found, caused her to arch her back, pull his hair, and curse loudly as he rubbed on it. 

Meira was rapidly climbing her towards her goal. Tears stung at her eyes over how good it felt.

"If you're going to cum, I want you to tell me." Kylo said, breaking away from her for only a moment before resuming.

"I'm... I'm cumming!" Meira cried out. As her walls began to spasm, Kylo twisted and pressed his fingers against that spot deep inside her. Meira felt a double sensation of her body cresting her peak as well as a deep gushing release. Put together it was the most intense orgasm she had ever had in her entire life. Under the cloak, Kylo smirked, his hand and mouth glistening in her liquid release. He licked her off her lips as he let her ride out her waves pulsating around his fingers. She tasted so sweet to him, and he knew that the taste of her pussy was going to be one that he craved for the rest of his life. 

"Cover your face..." Kylo ordered. Meira took the pillow she was laying on and pressed it to her face. Emerging from under the cloak, Kylo pushed down his pants at a feverish pace. Releasing his dick like his life depended on it. Grabbing Meira harshly, he flipped her over onto her hands and knees. Meira kept her face buried in the pillow as she arched her back and wiggled her hips, waiting for him to enter her. 

With zero warning, Kylo plunged balls deep into her. She cried out, the pillow muffling her cry. He began to pound into her, her walls tight and still pulsing. 

"That... _creature_.... was.... right.... You do have a nice ass." Kylo managed to say as he thrusted in and out of her over and over again.

"Ye... yeah?" Meira whimpered.

""I... I can't keep my eyes off it." Kylo moaned. ."Fuuuuck... it made me so jealous that he touched you like that. I could have killed him!" Kylo continued to snap his hips against hers, the sound of his skin slapping against hers and the wet sounds of their joining filling the room. When Kylo came, he came hard, lowly groaning and doubling over, pressing his lips into the center of her back. 

Meira reached back and found his face, she managed to cover his eyes with her hands before turning over, bringing her lips to his. She kissed him slowly and tenderly, thanking him almost. She kept her hand pressed to his eyes as she reached for her helmet, sloppily putting it back on before freeing him.

"Oh my stars... that was so good." Meira said, still out of breath.

"Ever have it like that before?"

"Never... never..."

"Well your ex obviously didn't know how to fuck you right." Kylo chuckled.

"No... no he did not." Meira laughed. 

They both laid tangled together like that, neither of them wanting the following morning to come. 


	9. Calling The Shots

Meira woke before Kylo did. She gingerly slipped out of the bed, silently dressed herself, and slipped out the door all without waking him up.

In the morning light the Tavern looked much different. It was empty since a tavern isn't really where people linger in the mornings. The bartender was sweeping the tavern floor and the woman whom had checked them into the room the night before was polishing silverware behind the front desk.

"Any good breakfast spots in town?" Meira asked the woman.

"There's a bakery... up the block, make a left at the lamp post, follow the smell of bread." She said after looking Meria up and down.

"Thank you."

"Will you two be staying another night?" The woman asked before Meira turned to leave.

"No... just the one night. How far is it to the next town, we are trying to make it to Los-Fawn."

"Los-Fawn? That's a long way.... well your best bet is to take the pubic coach, it arrives in two hours in the town square, the fare is 2 credits per-person, it'll take you as far as Krass Crossing. Stay the night there, I have a friend who owns a hotel there, I'll give you her information when you checkout." The woman said.

"Thank you so very much." Meira genuinely said as she turned to leave.

The small town was very quaint and rather beautiful. It reminded Meira of her village. Children played in the street, dogs barked and roamed freely, and flowers hung from baskets hanging on poles that lined the streets. It was absolutely lovely. Meira took her time walking towards the bakery, just as the woman at the Tavern had said, Meira was able to follow her nose straight towards the bakery.

There was a short line to enter the bakery, which pleased Meira, it meant that it _must_ be good. When Meira got up to the counter a kidney old gentleman looked at her and smiled.

"What'll it be, visitor?" He called her.

"What is your specialty?" Meria asked.

"Egg, cheese, and sausage on an everything Napta Bun!" A man in line called out to her.

"I'll take two egg, cheese, and sausages on everything Napta Buns, please. As well as two Cafs... cream and sweetener on the side if possible?" Meria asked.

"Coming right up, that'll be 5 credits." The man said, Meira passed him the credits and he turned to start making the sandwiches. Meira stepped aside and allowed the man behind of her to step forward.

"You an off world visitor?" The man asked.

"Yes... is it that obvious?" Meria chuckled.

"We don't see armored folks with helmets too often... you a trooper or something?" The man asked.

"No... Mandalorian."

"Ahhhh! I've heard of you folks... legendary. What brings you to Napta?"

"Visiting a friend in Los-Fawn." Meria lied.

"Los-Fawn... nice town... a bit of a hike... but nice." The man chuckled as he passed credits over the counter to the gentleman who ran the bakery.

"Here you go." The gentleman said passing you a bag and two cups of caf.

"Thank you." Meira said as she turned to leave.

"Enjoy your time on Napta!" Both kind gentlemen said to her. Under her helmet, Meira was smiling. The cities and getting on to the damn planet was a joke, but the people _here,_ they were absolutely lovely. It was a shame Meria would have to be leaving soon.

Meira once again took her time making her way back to the Tavern. She passed the woman at the front desk of the tavern once more and leisurely made her way up to the top floor. As she rounding the landing of the stairs she looked up to see Kylo frantically pulling his boot on as he hopped out of the room door. He stopped once he caught sight of her. He groaned and slowly put his foot down.

"Where the hell were you!?" He barked at her.

"Well good morning to you too..." Meira sighed as she finished climbing the stairs. Kylo had awoken minutes earlier to find the other side of the bed empty and all of Meira's armor gone. He first checked the bathroom on the lower floor and then peeked into the Tavern, but she was nowhere to be seen.

So... naturally... he panicked.

Part of him thought at first that she had abandoned him and went on without him, but then he saw that she hadn't taken any of her belongings or her Beskar Spear with her, so he figured she went out into the town.

"I got us breakfast... chill." Meira said, brushing her shoulder against him as she passed him to enter the room.

"You could have left a note." He said, stepping back into the room with her and shutting the door.

"What are you my _keeper_ or something? I'm a big girl, I can do what I want." Meria scoffed as she shoved his cup of caf into his hand. Kylo wanted to be angry at her, but he also knew he was being very stupid and very foolish. _Of course_ she could go out and handle herself, she was a Bounty Hunter _and_ a Mandalorian after all. Yet his first instinct was to panic and worry about if she was ok.

"Did... you get sugar?" He asked.

"In the bag... and since you're already dressed, why don't you go eat out there so I can?" Meria said with sass in her voice as she tapped the top of her helmet. Kylo rolled his eyes, grabbed his sandwich and sugar out from the bag and went out into the hallway to begrudgingly eat his sandwich alone.

***

With breakfast eaten and their belongings packed up Meira and Kylo made their way down to the main floor of the Tavern. There the front desk woman smiled and slid Meria a piece of paper with Hotel information on it.

"I called my friend and told her to be expecting you two by nightfall. Good luck on your journey!" The woman waved as Kylo and Meria left.

Out in the bright sunlight, Kylo groaned inside his helmet. There was a group of carefree children playing some sort of ball game in the middle of the street, dogs were obnoxiously barking, and there was an outrageous amount of flower baskets hanging from street poles. To Kylo it looked like a picture perfect town... and it _annoyed_ him.

Again, like a giant pathetic shadow, Kylo followed Meira through town until they reached the town square. Meria made no second thought to taking a seat right on the edge of the town's water fountain that sat picturesquely at the town's center.

Grumbling under his breath, Kylo sat down beside her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Grumpy much?" Meira asked him.

"This town is... so.... ugh." He said.

"It's nice! Look at all the children playing! And the flowers are beautiful!" Meira said looking around, wide eyed under her helmet.

"It's not real... They live in a bubble."

"No... it is real... I think _you_ live in a bubble." Meira said, playfully poking the side of his helmet.

"Cut it out." He said, batting her hand away. "And I do not live in a bubble! The galaxy is at war.. _this_ is all fake." He broadly motioned to everything.

"Not _all_ of the galaxy is at war. There's pockets of peace still out there... learn to enjoy it." Meira said.

"Whatever..." Kylo grumbled. The two of them sat in comfortable silence, Kylo stewing in his determination to hate the town, and Meria in her utter delight at the dog that came over to let her pet it.

"Look... it likes you!" Meira said when the Dog wagged it's tale and went over to Kylo.

"Shoo! Get away! Scruffy rat!" Kylo said, lightly kicking his boot out at the poor thing.

"Wow... who hates dogs? Weirdo..."

"We are on a mission! We have no time for petting dogs!"

"Well... we are currently waiting for our ride out of here. Petting a dog won't kill you." Meira said as they heard the engines of the public coach grew closer. Rolling into town was a terrain vehicle of sorts with large rolling wheels and a large open air cabin up top. A small ladder was lowered and travelers began to descend it, Kylo and Meira waited their turn and climbed up top and were greeted by the coach operator.

"This go to Krass Crossing?" Meira asked, rummaging though her coin purse.

"It's an all day trip, but yes, two credits please." Meira handed the operator two credits and then the operator looked at Kylo for his credits.

"I bought you breakfast." Meira said as she walked down the aisle of seats towards the back. Grumbling once more, Kylo pulled out 5 credits since he didnt carry anything smaller on him, and handed it to the operator.

"Keep the change." Kylo growled as she followed Meira to the back. They shared a bench seat all the way in the back and waited for the coach to start moving.

"How long are we on this _ancient_ vessel." Kylo asked, noting how the screws that held the benches together were rusted and slightly loose.

"All day... so get comfy." Meria said.

For the five millionth time that morning alone, Kylo grumbled to himself in frustration.

***

The Public Coach was bumpy and it jerked around worse than a small freighter navigating an asteroid field. On more than one occasion did Meira get thrown up off her seat and onto Kylo, which...Kylo didn't complain about. At this point, having her thrown on him was the _only_ highlight of his day.

"So... First Order life... what's it like?" Meria asked. They were out of earshot of any other travelers and the hours were passing slowly.

"It's... life..." Kylo said.

"So is living in nice peaceful villages on Napta... be more specific."

"It's... regimented. Up by a certain time, eat by a certain time, meetings, training, meetings, organizing troops... going into battle."

"Have _you_ ever personally gone into battle?" Meira asked.

"Yes... on numerous occasions." Kylo admitted. This admission seemed to make Meria's heart tighten for some reason. Kylo Ren was a large menacing dude. Seeing him break the nose of her assailant in the city confirmed to her that he was a brute, but him actually going into battle? Meria didn't know how she felt about it.

"Is it... scary?" Meira asked. Kylo had never been asked that question before. Going into battle, slaying down enemies, it was all part of his duty. He was a dutiful servant of a greater master and he did anything and everything he was told to do. No one ever asked how _he_ felt about such things.

"Not anymore." Kylo replied.

"I was eight years old when pirates tried to hijack my... clan's... ship. That was the first time I saw someone die. It was terrifying." Meria said, she didn't know why she brought up the attempted hijacking, the hijacking that made Din finally want to settle down, but she felt the need to share it.

"You've been bounty hunting since you were _eight?_ " Kylo questioned.

"Well, not me, my... clan... I was born in space, we didn't have a home planet until after that hijacking attempt."

"How many people are in your clan?" Kylo asked, genuinely interested about her life story now.

"Four... my clan..." She paused and debated how far she could... she should... go with this. "My clan is my family. My mother, father, brother, and myself." Meira admitted. She didn't need to go into _details._

"Oh... and they're all bounty hunters?"

"My father was. For many years. He retired, but would do hunting jobs a few times a year for the extra income. He would take me with him, teach me everything he knew. I even took in my own bounties myself after awhile." Meira said.

"So you're just following your family's footsteps?"

"No... I.... they actually didn't know I took _this_ job. I kind of ran away from home. _This_ , wasn't the path my parents wanted for me." Meira said, motioning over her armor and helmet. For a moment Kylo just sat there in silence looking at her.

"I can appreciate that." He sincerely said.

"What about you... you a First Order brat?" Meira said, lounging back in her seat and turning her body towards him.

"It's complicated... I don't _speak_ to my family. They disowned me. Let's just say... _this_ wasn't the path my parents wanted for me, either." Kylo said motioning over himself.

"Ahh... so here we are... two problematic children disobeying their parent's wishes."

"Yeah... we make a great team." Kylo responded.

***

The trip was long and arduous. The coach stopped once in a larger town for the operator to eat his lunch. This allowed Meira and Kylo to get out and stretch their legs a bit, use a 'fresher, and buy some lunch. Meira snuck away and found a private spot down an alleyway where she could eat her lunch in peace. Kylo waited, guarding the entrance tot he ally like a loyal sentry until she emerged.

"Was your sandwich good? Mine was soggy." Kylo said when she came out again.

"It was ok... I _told_ you not to get the egg salad." Meira said as they started to walk back to the coach. They boarded the vessel and took their seats in the back, refreshed from their few minutes of reprieve.

"Why did you take _this_ job." Kylo said once the coach started moving again.

"The money."

"Well no shit... but... what made you run away from your family?"

"Did you run away from your family?" Meira asked back.

"I'm asking _you_ questions."

"Well I don't want to answer that one."

"Then I won't answer yours." Kylo grumbled.

"Then we're even." Meira said crossing her arms and looking out the window beside her. Kylo too crossed his arms and pivoted his body away from her in mild frustration.

The road in which the coach traveled on grew worse by the mile. They were jolted, jarred, and thrust out of their seat as the coach bumped, rumbled, and swerved on the poorly constructed roadway. It got so bad that Kylo and Meira just resorted to standing instead of sitting. Both of them holding on to the back of the bench in front of them for dear life.

"This. Fucking. SUCKS!" Kylo growled.

"I'm getting motion sick." Meira said, feeling a queasiness in her stomach.

"What are the rules if you have to puke? Puke in your helmet?" Kylo jested at her.

"Shut up." Meira angrily said to him. The coach hit a particularly deep hole in the roadway knocking Meira off her feet and onto Kylo, Kylo stumbled backwards back on to the bench holding her against him.

"Let's just stay sitting." He sighed, not _really_ meaning to squeeze her against him, yet fully enjoying feeling her body against his.

 _"Last stop, Krass Crossing, five miles."_ The operator announced on the intercom overhead.

"Thank the Maker!" Meria exclaimed, scooting off Kylo and on to the seat. The road eventually smoothed out as they got closer to Krass Crossing.

Under her helmet, Meira looked out the window of the coach with awe. The town was much larger than the one they had women up in this morning, and it was situated in a valley of sorts at the bend of a wide, blue, and clear river. The architecture of the town was old and ornate, and even in the fading evening light she could see that floral trees and vines bloomed everywhere.

Next to her, Kylo barely looked out the window. He didn't care that there was a beautiful scenic river or brightly colored flowers, but he did note the change in energy that radiated off of Meria. Excitement and pleasure.

The coach came to a stop and Kylo and Meira departed, Meria being the one to thank the operator. It took them a moment to get there bearings, but eventually Meria stopped someone to ask where the hotel that they were looking for was.

Kylo didn't even wait for the old woman Meira stopped to finish, he herd " _take a left"_ and just started walking.

"Hey... wait up." Meira said catching up to him. The cobble stone streets were narrow and the vast majority of people in the town walked everywhere. There wasn't a ship or a speeder in sight.

They eventually made it to a very small Hotel that was right on the banks of the river. Inside a woman similar in age to the woman at the Tavern they left that morning, greeted them.

"Are you the two off world travelers headed to Los-Fawn?" The woman asked as she started to gather a room key.

"Yes. One room please... unless..." Meira said turning to Kylo, allowing him the opportunity to say if he wanted his own room or not.

"One room... king sized bed if you have one." Kylo said.

"Of course." The woman said with out missing a beat. She handed Meira a room key and instructed her to the fifth floor.

The hotel was similar in style to the Tavern, only slightly larger and their room would at least have it's own 'fresher.

"Oh we have a view of the river from here!" Meira said standing in front of the window once they entered their room.

"Fantastic." Kylo said after removing his helmet. "I'm taking a shower." He added before disappearing into the 'fresher.

Meira had noted Kylo's sour mood all day, and it was beginning to annoy her. _She_ had woken up in a _very_ pleasant mood. Her mind wandering back to the events of the night before made her blush.

Slowly Meira began to peel off her armor and set it aside. She rummaged through the closet of the hotel room and saw that there were complementary bathrobes hanging inside. Running her hand over one of the robe's belts, a devious thought popped into her head.

Meria took only the the robe belt and tiptoed her way to the 'fresher. Inside, the shower was running and Kylo was behind the curtain. In the shower Kylo was just standing under the hot stream of water watching the water drain away down the drain. He was startled slightly when he lights in the bathroom turned off and he was left in total darkness.

"Hey!.... Oh...." He said when he heard a rustling on the other side of the shower curtain. He heard the shower curtain slide open and then he felt a hand at the small of his back.

"What are you doing?" Kylo nervously asked.

"This time... I'm getting _you_ comfortable." Meira said in the darkness, repeating the words he had said to her the night before. He felt her hands snake around his waist as she pressed herself tightly to his back. He could feel her pebbled nipples against his skin. Slowly he turned, pulling her under the hot water with him.

His hands found her waist and drifted around until he had one of her ass cheeks firmly in each hand.

"And how are you going to make _me_ comfortable?" He lowly said, lowering his face to find hers in the darkness.

"I think I'll call the shots and _you_ sit back and enjoy the ride, how about that?"

"I don't _do_ that." Kylo said, moving his hands to her hips and gripping harshly. In the darkness Meira bit her bottom lip to stifle the little giggle that wanted to come out of her mouth.

"What... afraid to give up control for a few minutes?" She teased.

"I'm _always_ in control." He said sternly, moving her so her back was against the wall and his thigh was between her legs. He gripped her hips a moved her so that he was forcing her to ride his thigh. The softest of whimpers left her lips as he forcibly moved her pelvis against his leg.

"You should learn to give it up every once in a while. Maybe it'll put you in a better mood." She said, her hands moving across his chest and up to his shoulders.

"I'm _never_ in a good mood."

"We'll see about that." Meira said, tangling her fingers in his hair and pulling his head down to hers. Their lips met in the darkness. Their tongues and teeth clashed together and their hands moved over each others bodies as their skin was closely pressed together under the stream of hot water.

Meira moved her hand down, quickly finding the length of his dick and stroking vigorously. Kylo couldn't help but buck into her hand a bit as she took charge. He dipped his head lower, finding the tops of her breasts with his mouth. Kylo began to aggressively suck and nibble on the tender flesh of her tits, causing her to loudly gasp.

Kylo wanted to lift her up and fuck her against the tile of the shower. He moved his hands down behind her thighs but she stopped him. Harshly pulling his hair she yanked him off her right nipple, the pain of his hair being pulled being _alarmingly_ arousing to him for some reason.

"I _said_ I'm calling the shots." She sternly said.

"Ok... fine..." Kylo relented, his dick and balls agonizingly pulsating in her firm grasp. Meira pushed him off of her and she stepped into the stream water.

"Hand me the soap." She ordered him. Kylo fumbled around for a moment but was able to secure the bar of soap in the darkness and hand it to her. It didn't take Meira long, but she washed up, rinsed off, and turned off the shower.

"Hand me a towel and then dry yourself off." Meira ordered him again. Kylo did just as he was told and waited for his next order from her.

"Turn around and face the door. _Do not_ turn back around." She aid to him. Kylo dutifully obeyed. In his mind he was asking himself a million questions. IF this was _anyone_ else he wouldn't allow this to happen. He _never_ allowed this type of behavior in his presence. Even with other... _partners_... Kylo had never once allowed any of _them_ to take control like this. To order him around as if he were a good for nothing foot soldier.

Yet _why_ did it suddenly feel so good? Why with every order that came from _her_ lips did it sent a shooting jolt of lust straight to his cock? Why did it ignite his senses in a way that he had never experienced before?

Now he was curious....

The 'fresher light turned on... But Kylo didn't turn around. He obeyed her command and stood still as he faced the door.

"Crouch down, but stay facing the door." She said from behind him. Kylo bet his knees a bit, and was startled when a thin band of fabric came over his eyes.

 _She was blindfolding him_.

"Whoah.. whoah... what are you doing?" Kylo nervously questioned.

"You... dumbass. Now stand back up." She said. Again, it was the _way_ she said it, with authority in her voice, that sent a jolt of lust through Kylo's body, his dick throbbing in response.

Kylo felt Meira shift around him, her hand snaking around his waist. In the light Meira was taking in the sight on _him_ for the first time. She was holding her breath as her eyes took in every little detail of his body. All the little freckles, small scars, contours of his muscles, and especially his cock. She had yet to actually _see_ it, she had only ever felt it up to this point.

Meira opened the door to the 'fresher and stood in front of Kylo facing him. Meira stepped forward and pressed her chest to his and bought her lips to _his_ nipples. Her tongue darting out and flicking them. Kylo's whole body shuttered in response. Lowering her hands, Meria grabbed him by the balls.

"Walk forward, we're heading for the bed. But don't go too quickly or else you'll get hurt." She said, squeezing him every so slightly to give him a warning. They moved together, Meria not once letting go of him, maneuvering him so that his back was to the bed. Once the back of his knees hit the bed she let go of him and pushed him forward.

"Pull yourself up to the middle of the bed." She ordered him, and like the obedient servant of hers that he was, he complied. Meria climbed over him, her eyes on one thing and one thing only.

Meira straddled his legs and bent herself over, grabbing him by the shaft and giving no warning as she licked him from base to tip. Twirling the beads of precum that had dribbled out over the head of his dick with her tongue.

" _Fuuuuuuuck...._ " Kylo lowly said, making Meria smirk.

The fact that he couldn't see her was driving him wild. _And he liked it._

As he had discovered only a few days before, not being able to see enhanced things in a way that made them indescribable. He had no clue what her next move was going to be. So when she sucked as much of him down as she could, he had a full body response in the form of muscle twitches and a loud gutial moan. 

He reached his hands down to search for her head, but she responded by dropping him from her mouth and pinning his hands away from her.

"No touching." She ordered. He dutifully obeyed and gripped at the blankets on the bed like his life depended on it. Again she sucked him down and he responded the same as before. The sensations were more intense and overwhelming almost as she sucked and twirled her tongue over him. 

Eventually she dropped him all together, her lips slowly kissing upwards, over his stomach to his chest. She shuttered when she grazed her teeth over one of his nipples, and he tried to buck his hips up into her when she lightly nibbled on the other. 

" _Meria....."_ He softly breathed. Meria's eyes fluttered upon hearing her name escape his lips, lips that she wanted on her own body. 

"Yes? Do you need something?" She replied.

"You.... I need you.... _please_." He begged.

"Patience...." She whispered, pressing her lips against his neck. She could have sworn she heard him whimper. Meira reached down and positioned his dick between her folds, rubbing him onto herself. She slowly moved her hips as she kissed and sucked away at his neck while her fingertips pulled and tugged on his nipples. 

Kylo was frozen, his brain completely unable to compute the amount of pleasurable sensations he was experiencing all at once. He just laid there like a dead fish occasionally moving his hips in time with hers and moaning... no _begging_ for her to let him cum. 

Meria was begging to get sloppy as she rubbed herself on him, the sensations and the erotic nature of it all was thrilling. She had never done something like this before. Take control. It was thrilling and she liked it. She was relishing over hearing Kylo beg for her and say her name. 

" _Not so much of a big tough guy now are you?"_ Meira thought to herself as she angled her hips just right and sunk herself right onto him.

"Oh shit!!!" Kylo cried out upon entering her like that. He hadn't been prepared, he had no warning. Her walls were hot, tight, and wet. She didn't move at first and he could feel her pulse from the inside. Meria needed a moment to adjust to his size from this angle. She didn't mean to sink _all the way_ down on to him, but she was so wet it just slipped and happened. 

"Move... please move... _please_ just fuck me." Kylo begged from under her.

"I said I was calling the shots! And if I just want to sit here all night I will" Meria tried to say firmly. she could see a redness coming to Kylo's cheeks and his knuckles were completely white from gripping the blankets. 

_Slowly_ , Meira moved her hips, she began to sit up and slowly bounce herself on him. She reached down and took him by his wrists, bringing his hands up to her tits.

"Ahh.... _fuck_... you're so tight." He cried out. He still couldn't see a damn thing, and she had been right, it did feel good to give up control. She kept one of his hands firmly against her breast while she pushed the other one down, signaling him to rub his thumb against her clit. 

Part of Meira didn't want to be in control any more, she just wanted him to take over and fuck her like he had the past two nights. But something deep inside her spurned her on, moved her to want to see this to completion. She began to bounce harder and faster on him, and he responded by pressing his thumb harder against her. 

The room was filled with their moans, cries, and the occasional expletive as they both worked closer to their climax. Meira could feel hers coming. She arched her back and tossed her head back, her hair long enough to tickle the tops of Kylo's legs from that angle. She crashed into her orgasm hard, her walls spasming and clenching around him as she rode him fully. He didn't last long after that, bringing his hands to her hips and pounding into her himself from below. 

Meira flopped forward, pressing her chest to his and burying her face in the crook of his neck. Their bodies moved up and down together as they both tried to catch their breaths. Lazily Kylo drew circles with the tips of his fingers on her back, not even caring that his eyes were still blindfolded. She could permanently blind him for all he cared.

"Stay put for a second." Meira said as she slowly peeled herself off of him. Meira was grateful his eyes were covered since she almost fell flat on her face as she tried to stand up, her legs wobbly and spent. She went first to the 'fresher to clean up and then over to the large window in the bedroom. 

Taking one last look at the river outside, she pulled the curtains closed, putting the entire room in total darkness. 

She climbed back on the bed next to Kylo and pulled the blindfold off of him.

"Are you done being bossy?" He sighed.

"Yes." she replied. In the darkness Kylo hooked his index finger under Meira's chin and brought his lips to hers, kissing her softly and tenderly. 

He couldn't tell if the sensation he was feeling in his lower abdomen was remnants of his orgasm or if he actually had butterflies in his stomach.


	10. Jungle

A bird must have landed near by the hotel room window since it was the loud chirp of a bird that woke Kylo up the following morning. The room was still fully dark, but a small frame of sunshine managed to make it's way around the drawn blackout curtains. Kylo rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled over, reaching over and finding Meira on the other side.

He sighed a small sigh of relief at the fact that she had not woken up before him this time. Scooting up behind her, he spooned her from behind. Kylo laid there fully awake now wondering why the hell he was finding himself to be so damn _attached_ to her. He barely knew her, yet deep down he felt this _tug_ of sorts that made him want to ask questions and do things he normally wouldn't want to do. 

Kylo had had other... _liaisons..._ over the years. None of them lasted more than a week or so and they all were purely about sex and nothing else. In fact, whenever he ended.... whatever... it usually resulted in him and the other party involved _loathing_ and _hating_ each other. Part of Kylo, in that very moment, didn't want Meria to _ever_ hate him, he wanted her to trust him, he was still challenging himself to earn her trust. He was beginning to wonder if he was doing a good job so far. 

He had to be... right?

She bought him breakfast yesterday. That had to count for something. Or maybe she was just being _nice?_ Yeah... she was just being nice. She was nice to everyone. She was nice to the woman in the Tavern, she was nice to the public coach operator, she was nice to that stray dog. She was just being nice to him.... right?

Kylo squeezed his eyes shut trying to not dwell on his increasingly conflicting feelings. He felt like a schoolboy thinking about her, wondering about her, _dreaming_ about her. Yeah... that was a new thing now, last night had dreamt about her. She was right there in the bed next to him and he was dreaming about her. Even in his dreams she was faceless, yet his subconscious didn't even care. 

She was making him soft somehow. 

Meira softly sighed in her sleep and shifted around in the sheets, wiggling herself closer to him. Kylo put his arm around her, his big ass hand cupping one of her breasts. He scooted his face closer to the back of her head, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling her scent. 

_Why did she smell so good?_ He couldn't help but think to himself. 

Meira began to shift again, rolling over completely to face him, bringing her arm over him and tangling their legs together. She was awake, but she didn't want to open her eyes yet. Her nose brushed up against his collar bone and it was her turn now to inhale his scent.

During the day, while traveling, she didn't care much for him at all. He was large, imposing, drew attention, was clumsy, and not very efficient when it came to traveling. Today would be the day that would tell Meria whether or not he slowed her down. Today was their first day they would have to do a portion of the trip on foot. 

Echoing out of the darkness, Kylo's stomach growled loudly, causing Meria to laugh.

"I thought you were still asleep." Kylo said, sleepiness still in his voice.

"Nah..." Meira responded. Kylo pushed against her, rolling her onto her back and settling between her legs, He brought his lips down to her neck and just lightly peppered the delicate area with soft kisses. 

Goosebumps quickly rose on Meira's skin as his hot lips left a wet trail on her neck that cooled in the early morning air. Kylo's hand moved down the side of her body, slowly kneading at her soft flesh before hooking behind her knee and bringing her leg around his waist. 

"What color are your eyes?" Kylo said into her neck.

"What?" Meira asked, genuinely lost in the soft sensations. 

"Your eyes... what color are they?" He said before nibbling on her earlobe. 

"Brown."

"Are your eyelashes long or short?"

"I don't know... medium I guess." 

"What's the shape of your lips?" He said, brining a hand up to caress the side of her face and run his thumb over her lips.

"Lip... shaped... I don't know, I've never thought that hard about it." Meira nervously laughed. Kylo gently traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his finger, but Meira slowly parted her lips and lightly bit his finger. Kylo brought his mouth to hers but didn't quite make contact, instead he pressed his nose against hers and _slowly_ traced her lips with just the tip of his tongue while rocking his hips into hers. 

He was already hard, and his dick found itself comfortably settled right where it needed to be, rubbing over her clit again and again. 

"Do you have freckles?" Kylo asked after fulling pressing his lips to hers.

"In the summer time, if I spend too much time in the sun." She half moaned as his rocking pace increased. 

"So... you sunbathe... _without_ your helmet and armor?" He said, a mischievous tone in his voice. 

"Ye.... Yeah..."

" _Interesting."_

 _"_ Shut... up..." Meira said, reaching her hand down to his chest and pinching one of his nipples hard.

"Fuck! Don't do that!" He hissed at her. Meira only responded by laughing at him. Kylo bent his head down and bit the side of her neck while simultaneously pushing himself inside of her. Meira breathlessly gasped, unsure if she wanted to yelp from the pain of him biting her or moan from the pleasure of having him inside her. 

All talking and asking questions ceased as their bodies lazily moved together. Meira couldn't get over just how _addicting_ he was. He was a pain in the ass during the day, but with his hands and mouth on her once they were behind closed doors, she couldn't help but crave him for some reason. 

She ceased to care that he worked for The First Order, or that he could use The Force, or that he _technically_ was her employer, none of that mattered at that very moment. Inside her chest she felt a tug towards him and wondered if maybe... just maybe... if the situation were different, would she have ever met him? Would she have a chance with him _outside_ of whatever _this_ was?

Kylo brought his and up and wrapped it around her neck. She was so petite compared to him that his fingers wrapped fully around her throat. He tilted his head down as if he could see down the length of her body, but it was still pitch black in the room and he could see nothing. 

Meira reached up and pressed her hand to his cheek and then urged him to kiss her. He responded by lifting her whole head up by her neck and aggressively smashing his lips to hers, running his tongue over her bottom lip, asking for entrance into her mouth. Kylo began to snap his hips harder against her, little whimpers leaving her as she refused to break the kiss with him.

She felt so damn good to him. He began to wonder how on earth she was able to handle him so well. The bed rocked back and forth, thudding against the wall a time or two. 

"You... you take my dick so well." Kylo whispered to her. 

"Ye... yeah?"

"Yes.... better than anyone.... ever...."He admitted. 

"Lucky me." Meira smirked to herself. 

"Don't go getting cocky now." 

"Too late." Meria said, responding further by pinching his nipples again. Kylo yelped and responded by lifting Meira completely up, pulling himself into a half seated position and increasing his pace further, thrusting into her at a ridiculously feverish pace. Meria was now completely incoherent. Her senses overtaken by a mixture of pleasure and pain. 

He was pounding into her, occasionally hitting her cervix, causing her to yelp in surprise and try and push away from him. But he didn't give up. Utilizing The Force, he began to twirl around her clit like he knew she liked. Her body's response was immediate in the form of her legs locking and shaking around his waist and her audible whimpers and squeaks that left her mouth increasing. 

Kylo could feel the pressure building within her, he increased his pace, pushing her well over the edge. Meira dug her fingernails into his back and cursed in the darkness, her muscles clenching and releasing in a rhythmic pace. Kylo pushed through, the clenching of her muscles pulling him to completion. He came hard and loudly.

Kylo fell forward, laying fully on top of Meira, his skin covered in a thin layer of sweat. 

Again outside the hotel room window a bird sang out. He could feel Meira tracing the contours of his back with the soft tips of his fingers.

"I guess we should get up and get going, huh?" Meira finally said.

"Yeah..." Kylo agreed, even though deep down he didn't want to get out of that bed.

***

The next town they needed to make it to was a day and a half walk through a jungle path. The woman at the front desk of the hotel gave Meria detailed instructions and gave Kylo and Meira complementary "over night" passes that they would need while on the trail.

"What's this shit?" Kylo said, turning the paper pass over in his hand.

"More rules about off worlders. Remember we aren't allowed to be on the road after sundown? Since the next town over is a day and a half away, we'll have to camp outside tonight. So this stupid pass gives us permission to do so." Meira said, tucking her pass into the safety of a pocket on the thigh of her leggings. Kylo too tucked his pass securely away.

They walked though town and made their way to the Jungle trail that led to the next town. For the first hour or so the trail wasn't too bad, it was paved mostly. But just as the road was yesterday, the further along they went, the worse the trail became. 

The jungle was hot, humid, and sticky. The native birds were loud and obnoxious. And every once in a while Meira would catch up to some other travelers who walked slowly. 

"I need a break!" Kylo said some time around noon.

"We have to keep pushing forward, we can rest when we get to the next town." Meira held her hands on her hips and was trying to catch her breath. Under her helmet she was dripping in sweat and her visor was getting foggy occasionally from the humidity.

"You're worse than a Stormtrooper captain did you know that!?" Kylo grumbled. He had been pleasant all morning, but now was starting to get into a sour mood.

"Chop, chop! Keep marching Commander!" Meria said as she continued to march her way down the trail. 

"I swear to Maker...." Kylo growled as he tried to keep up with her.

"Seriously... like... five minutes... _please?"_ Kylo pleaded about a half hour later. They had reached a relatively empty part of the path and they were approaching a stream of water. Being able to take off his boots and soak his hot feet in the cool water sounded amazing at that very moment. 

"Fine... I have to take a piss anyway." Meira said as she stepped off the jungle path and into the greenery. Kylo tore off his helmet and staggered over to the stream and kelt down and plunged his head into the cool water. The water was refreshing and amazing against his hot and sweaty skin.

They had been walking for four hours now, Meira refusing to slow her pace, wanting to practically power walk her way to the next town.

A few yards off the path, Meira found relief behind the privacy of a bush. She took the few moments of seclusion to take off her helmet and wipe the sweat from her brow and wipe out the inside of her helmet. She did have to admit that the whole trek was agony so far. 

She was drenched in sweat and she was certain that the socks in her boots were utterly soaked. They still had a few more hours to walk before having to find a place to settle for the night. Meria decided not to return to the path, instead she followed the sound of the steam through the jungle and made her way to her own secluded spot on the creek. 

Meira knelt down and dunked her head in the water. The cool water refreshing her more than anything else. 

"Hey! Where are you!?" Meira heard Kylo call out from the path.

"By the stream! I'm going to eat lunch!" Meira responded.

"Finally..." Kylo said to himself, finding a seat on a nearby boulder and taking out a packet of jerky Meria had given him. He bit into the first piece of jerky and felt relief on his hungry stomach.

"You would make a great drill sergeant. Has anyone ever told you that!?" Kylo called out into the jungle. 

"Ha. Ha." Her voice echoed out in the greenery. Sitting with her bare feet now in the stream, Meira leisurely ate her packed lunch. She was admiring the beauty that surrounded her. All the exotic flowers, and the songs of the birds. 

With her lunch finished Meria got our of the water and started to put her boots back on. Really, the last thing she wanted to do was put her helmet back on... but it wasn't up to her. She had an Oath to upkeep and she was determined to keep true. 

She put her helmet back on her head and met Kylo back on the trail. He had decided not to put his helmet on, instead rigging it to his bag over his shoulder.

"Alright Drill Sargent.... lets go." He grumbled. 

"March on.... hurry up... left... left.... left, right, left!" She playfully shoved him onto the path. Kylo couldn't help but break into an uncharacteristically toothy smile. 

***

They walked for another five hours, once again barely taking any breaks. As they walked they chatted about nonsense, like their favorite foods, or favorite planets they've been too. As the sun started to set, Meira figured it was time to start looking for a safe place to came down for the night.

"Do you know if there are any predators in this jungle?" Kylo asked.

"Uhhh.... they mentioned these large black cat things... but if we start a fire the fire should deter them." Meira said as she walked into a nice clearly just a few yards off the jungle path. 

"I guess I'll gather firewood." Kylo said as he plopped his belongings down on the ground. Meria got to work clearing the small area of any debris and taking out anything she might need for the night. Kylo returned shortly after with an arm full of dried wood. 

"I got it." He said as he stacked the wood on the ground and used his lightsaber to start the fire. 

"Nifty..." Meira said as she unrolled a sleeping sack she brought with her. Kylo sat down leaning his back against a nearby log and looked around to take in their surroundings. 

"You have any Mandalorian Campfire stories you can tell me?" He smirked.

"No...." Meira answered as she laid down on top of her sleep sack, grateful to finally rest for the day.

"Come on... surely there's some Mandalorian legends you can share. What about the Darksaber... what ever happened to that thing?" Kylo asked as he laid flat on his back looking up into the tree canopy, he too, grateful to be resting.

Meira froze for a moment. Yeah.... she knew about the Darksaber. It was a story she had been told many times before. One thing she genuinely didn't know what what happened to it.

"It's lost. It was lost during The Great Purge." Meira said.

"Not true... Moff Gideon had it after the fall of the Empire. Legend says a Mandalorian working with Bo Katan won it in battle against Gideon."

"Well... to _my_ knowledge. Bo Katan never got it back. I have no idea what happened to it." Meria honestly said. It was true. Her father never explained further what happened to the Darksaber, it was always a mystery and something Din never spoke about.

"What ever happened to Bo Katan? Surely you must know that story."

"She's dead. Died alone on some remote planet... consumed with her quest to gain power over Mandalore. Some say she went mad from years of hyper fixating on her birth right." Meria answered. 

"Would still be interesting to learn about where the Darksaber went. It did belong to her after all."

"Doesn't the Force decide things? Like it moves all around us, and guides us? _Clearly_ The Force must have decided it was better off lost. That stupid thing only ever brought war and chaos wherever it went." Meira added. Kylo said up on his elbows and looked over the fire to where she lay. He was utterly shocked at how she knew about that. It was rare for a non force user to know such things. 

"How do you know that? Who told you how The Force works?"

"I know a thing or two because...."

"Yeah, yeah.... You've seen a thing or two.... _where?_ Who taught you?" His voice becoming stern and dominating. 

"Just _around_.... people tell stories and share tales." Meira fibbed. 

"Yeah... ok..." Kylo scoffed, unsure if she was being truthful or not. He laid back down on his back looking up at the tree canopy. A few minutes went by before a package of jerky landed on his chest.

"Dinner." Meria said.

"Thanks." Kylo said, sitting up to eat. Kylo watched as Meria got up and disappeared behind a bush, no doubt to eat her own dinner in privacy. 

***

The nighttime insects were loud once the sun fully went down. There were also sounds of creatures of the night, creatures that sounded both large and small. A few times as Meira tried to find sleep did she jump at hearing the call of whatever creature was lurking out there. It scared Meria and she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep knowing there were large predatory cats out there and who knows what else. 

"Come over here." Kylo told her, patting the ground next to him. Meira picked up her sleep sack and went over to where he lay on the other side of the camp fire. She watched him put more logs on the fire before sitting down next to her.

"I set my helmet up to scan for lifeforms, it'll alert me if anything approaches while we sleep." Kylo said to her as he pulled his helmet over his head.

"Oh... ok... cool." Meria said, exhaustion on her voice. 

"Sleep... I've got us." He whispered as he laid down beside her and pulled his cloak over her legs. Meira curled up right at his side. He put his arm around her and waited until her breathing evened out before he knew she was asleep.

His helmet didn't have a scanner that worked like that....


	11. My Helmet

Kylo managed to get a good few hours of sleep in during the night. In truth, he laid awake, his arm around Meria, listening for danger. It wasn't until he physically couldn't fight sleep anymore that he allowed himself to drift off.

They started off their morning slowly, making breakfast, eating with their backs to each other, and then cleaning up their campsite before making their way back out to the jungle trail. By their calculations, they should arrive to the next town by noon at the latest. It would give them the entire afternoon and night to rest before the next leg of their journey.

The jungle trail was no less treacherous and difficult as it had been the day before. In fact, it was much worse. Whole portions of the trail had been washed away it looked like, and there were boulders in certain areas that needed to be climbed.

Kylo stood at the top of one and looked around to see that he could finally see the next Town just at the bottom of whatever mountain they were down descending.

"I think I can see the town!" Kylo exclaimed from the top of the boulder.

"Fucking _help_ me!" Meira shouted up at him as she tried to hoist herself up the boulder, her legs too short to swing herself up. Kylo looked down at her and chuckled, she looked like a tiny little Porg unable to fly and hopping around trying to pull herself up. Bending down, Kylo offered her his hand which she took. He then effortlessly pulled her up to join him at the top of the boulder.

"Where, where is it?" Meira said as she adjusted her armor and dusted pebbles off of herself.

"Over there." Kylo pointed.

"Where?"

"There."

"I don't see anything."

"Through that clearing there. See that tree?"

"We are in a jungle there are a lot of trees."

"The one with the red leaves." Kylo said, growing frustrated.

"Ok I see it."

"You see the town?"

"No I was looking for the tree."

"To the _left_ of the tree."

"I still don't see it."

"Fucking hell, Meira." Kylo grumbled sidestepping her and grabbing her by the hips and pushing her to where he had been standing.

"Red tree. To the left. Clearing. See it?" He continued to point. Meira shifted her weight on her feet a few times and Kylo could see that she was trying to see.

"Oh... now I see it!!! It's like on the shore of a lake! The trees are just so thick." Meria said with a laugh.

" _Finally...."_ Kylo sighed.

"If we hurry we can make good time." Meria said as she started to angle herself to hop off the boulder onto the trail on the other side.

"Wait... you'll hurt yourself." Kylo said, stopping her. Meria stood there with her hands on her hips while Kylo sat down and scooted himself down the side of the very large boulder. He then turned around and held his arms out for her.

Imitating how he went down, Meira too sat down and went to scoot, but slipped and would have just fell the rest of the way down, but Kylo caught her.

"Your short ass legs are dangerous out here." He said, gently lowering her to her feet.

"Well we all can't be giants." Meira sassed, once again dusting herself off and without a look back at him, she marched ahead.

"You're welcome!!!!" Kylo called after her. " _Stubborn ... short ass Mandalorian..."_ Kylo grumbled under his breath.

***

The train started to decline making it easier to walk down, and the closer they got to the town, the nicer the trail became once more. Meira did not let up, she wanted to get there as soon as possible, but once again... Kylo needed a break.

"We already took _three_ breaks!" Meira said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We're making good time! I don't know what you want from me!" Kylo said as he sat down on a nearby log. He was exhausted from his lack of sleep the night before and just needed to sit.

"I _want_ you to keep going! We can rest when we get there!" Meira shouted at him as she was a few yards up the path.

"Go on ahead of me! I'll catch up and meet you there." Kylo said. As Meira turned she raised her hands above her head and flipped him off.

"LATER!" Kylo yelled after her with a smirk on his face, glad to watch those leggings walk away. Meira chuckled to herself at that comment. She could hear voices further down the trail approaching her, no doubt other travelers heading the way they came.

Meira stepped to the side allowing a young family to pass, and then continued along. The trail grew quiet again and Meira could see that the conditions on the trail were further improving. Meira was thinking about how happy she was going to be once they got to town. How the first thing she was going to do was take a long cool shower to wash all the sweat and humidity off her skin. She was also hoping Kylo wasn't too exhausted from their journey to maybe... _ya know._

Meira began to nibble on her bottom lip thinking about all their previous encounters. She wanted to have his mouth on her again, and to feel his rough hands on her soft skin. She thought about how he quite literally feasted on her that night at the Tavern, and she was beginning to wonder if she could get him to let her sit on his face.

They would have _all afternoon_ and night here in this town. A _perfect_ time to.....

A branch stepped behind Meria and she shot around only to see nothing, but then she heard something else ahead of her. Her intuition alerted her before she saw it, and she ducked and rolled from a blaster shot that came out of the jungle.

Meira unholstered her blaster from her thigh and blasted a few shots in the direction in which the first shot rang out. A second shot rang out, this time from behind her, and just barely missed her feet.

Further up the path, Kylo had just side stepped a family that was traveling in the direction he was coming from when he heard the sound of blaster shots coming from further down the path.

He immediately took off running, gripping his lightsaber in hand.

Out of the jungle came four creatures, all of them with cloth face masks over their eyes and weapons in their hands.

"Hand us over your goods!" One of them barked at her.

"I think not." Meira said, quickly ducking at shooting at one of them. She was able to disarm one, but she was moving slowly due to the bags she was carrying on her person. One of the bandits was able to get a good punch in, but crunched his fist against Meira's Beskar helmet.

Meira staggered back, but one of the bandits grabbed Meria by the strap of her bag and pulled her down. Meira reached back with her blaster and shot at him, sending his body flying into the greenery.

The other tree jumped on her all at once, grabbing her bags, her legs, her arms, taking her blaster from her. She soon felt hands on her helmet, threatening to lift it off her head. But then it all stopped. All three of the attackers let go of her and began clawing at their throats, an invisible hand choking them.

Meira turned her head and saw Kylo appear on the path, his light saber ignited in one hand and his other manipulating the force. He sent two of the attackers flying through the jungle and dropped the third. The third quickly picked up his blaster and fired one shot in Kylo's direction, which Kylo deflected with the force. With one quick swoop of the blade, Kylo sent the bandit's head rolling, catching both the body and the head with the force and sending it hurdling through the dense jungle.

Kylo disengaged his saber and quickly went to Meira, looking her over and reaching for her hands.

"Are you alright?" His voice shaky as he spoke.

"Yeah... yeah... just a few bruises." She said. Kylo pulled her up to her feet and she started dusting herself off, Kylo too reached out and dusted some dirt off her leg. Kylo took a moment and stepped back to look at her while she rearranged herself and made sure everything was in it's proper place.

For some _odd_ reason, absolute terror had taken over his body when he heard those blast shots. All he felt was fear and rage when he saw the three men attacking her. He didn't even think twice when he ended them, discarding their bodies like trash in to the dense jungle, never to be found again.

Kylo's heart was beating out of his chest still and all he wanted to do was pull her to his chest tightly and embrace her. Glad... for some baffling reason... that she was ok.

"I was distracted. I should have seen them coming." Meria admitted, disappointment in herself on her voice.

"No... no... you were outnumbered." Kylo said to her.

"There _were_ four of them." Meira chuckled to herself as she went to pick up her blaster and put it back in it's holster.

"What happened to the fourth?" Kylo asked.

"Shot him."

"Good." Kylo said, taking a step closer to her.

"Let's... let's keep going." Meria anxiously said, looking all around her to make sure no one else was there. Meria's pace was now slower as they continued down the jungle path, Kylo kept right up at her side the entire time.

***

The town appeared to be some sort of lake side resort. There were bustling shops and boutique hotels and inns, but none of them would grant Kylo and Meira use of a room. It appeared to Meira that the workers of the hotels and inns were being rather prejudice to them, thinking that Kylo and Meira were simply poor travelers.

"I'm sorry, we are all booked up for the night. You might try one of the budget hostels on the other side of town." One front desk worker said to Meira at the _fifth_ hotel they were trying.

"Anything?" Kylo asked when Meira emerged from the hotel lobby.

"She suggested we go to the budget hostel on the other side of town. Maybe we should..."

"No... out of the question." Kylo interrupted her.

"We just need a place for the night."

"No... you have to share a whole room and 'fresher with a bunch of strangers... no."

"Would that be too terrible? Just for one night." Meria's voice exhausted. Kylo took one step closer to her and leaned down to talk right into the earpiece of her helmet.

"No... because I want to fuck you on a _big ass_ bed, in a _nice ass_ room, after taking a _long ass_ shower. I'm getting us a hotel." He said before turning to walk towards the next boutique hotel down the road. He left Meira standing there, her mouth a gasp under her helmet and her thighs clenched together.

After the attack on the jungle path, Kylo just wanted to get her within four secure walls so he could have his way with her. At first he was _terrified_ when it all went down, but that feeling soon dissipated into some thing he couldn't quite explain. He just wanted to have her to himself. The entire rest of the trek into town his mind was wandering back to the day before, to the last hotel, the tavern, and even the ship. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her naked frame and bury his face between her breasts and never let go.

These were all unfamiliar feelings to Kylo. He had experienced want and lust before, and of course the deep desire to dominate. But _this_ was different. _This_ he couldn't explain or even wrap his mind around fully. He was acting on pure instinct now, doing less of what his mind told him he needed to do and more of what his _heart_ told him he needed to do.

It was uncharacteristic and Kylo felt stupid.

The front desk worker looked Kylo up and down and gave him a sort of _look_ , appearing to be displeased with Kylo's disheveled appearance as Kylo entered the hotel.

"We don't have public restrooms, try the public latrine by the beach." The front desk worker said.

"I actually would like to rent a room for the night."

"We're all booked up." The front desk worker said without looking up from the magazine they were reading.

"Listen..." Kylo said, leaning over the counter, causing the front desk worker to take a step back. "You will find me the nicest room you have, with a view of the lake, and a good rate." He said, waving his hand over the worker's face.

"Certainly... I will find you the nicest room we have with a view of the lake! Oh, and at a good rate too!" The worker said, taking a step back and looking over their datapad.

"Oh we have an executive suite available, would that suffice?"

"It would..." Kylo said, tossing a pile of credits onto the front desk. The front desk person made up a room key and slid it across to Kylo.

"Pleasure doing business with you." He said, taking the key and going back out to Meira.

Meira followed Kylo inside the hotel and straight to the elevators. She couldn't help but gaze around at all the luxurious amenities that surrounded them. Even the elevators were expensive.

"This must have cost a lot." Meira said, regret and shame in her voice.

"Don't worry about it." Kylo crooned to her as the elevator came to a stop on their floor. Meira followed Kylo to the end of the hall where an ornate door was. Waving the key card in front of the lock, the door opened.

Inside, Meira's eyes went wide at seeing the most luxurious room she had ever seen in her entire life. There were ornate arrangements of white and pink roses, gilded furniture, and the air smelled like honeysuckle and lemon.

"I'm going to take a shower... you're welcome to join me." Kylo said, brushing his hand around her waist as he passed. Meria was too focused on the opulence of the room to care about him at that very moment. She let him go shower alone while she explored the massive suite.

Meria pulled open the doors that led out to the balcony that had a breathtaking view of the lake. The lake was wide and vast with deep glittering blue waters. All around people in nice clothes walked and milled about. There were flowers everywhere and exotic birds perched on gas powered lamp posts.

Meria didn't realize how long she had been gazing out on the balcony until Kylo emerged from the 'fresher, his towel wrapped low around his hips and water dripping from his hair.

"I'd try and see if I can get away with fucking you out here on this balcony but.... this time _you_ smell like a Nerf Herder." He said standing close to her. His low voice immediately sent a jolt of fire through Meira, she didn't even care that he told her she smelled, oh... she knew she smelled. Meira just chuckled and turned to go back into the room.

"I'm going to get dressed and get something to eat from the cafe across the way. Do you want anything?" Kylo said following her into the room.

"No... I'll grab something later." Meria said before locking herself in the 'fresher. Meria gleefully peeled off her disgusting armor and clothes and quickly jumped in the shower, grateful for the water to wash away how disgusting she was feeling.

She took her time in the shower, washing up three times to make sure all the disgusting ick she felt from the jungle was washed down the drain. When she stepped out of the shower she grabbed one of the hotel towels, noting how extremely plush and fluffy it was. She dried herself off and went to grab her helmet but grimaced at realizing it still smelled sweaty inside.

She would have to wipe it out and clean it later.

Meria called out through the 'fresher door for Kylo but he did not answer. She cracked open the door slightly and noted that he had not returned yet from the cafe. Meria, wrapped in the towel, dashed over to her things to grab clean and fresh clothes when she stopped at the open balcony window.

She took the time to glance out the window, taking in the scene with her own eyes instead of through a helmet viewfinder. That was when she caught sight of Kylo standing in line at the cafe across from the hotel.

She stood there, in full view of everyone. None of them looking up at her at all. She watched as Kylo walked right up to the counter of the cafe and place his order.

At any moment Kylo could have turned around and looked up at her. For the _briefest_ moment she wished he would. She stood there. _Right there._

Meria stepped away from the window just as Kylo turned around to look up at their room, noting how the sheer curtains fluttered in the breeze.

Kylo took his time going back up to the room, eating his sandwich as he went. He finished the last bits of his sandwich as the elevator arrived. He smiled to himself as he unlocked the hotel room door, knowing full well that _she_ was on the other side.

"I'm back." Kylo said as he opened the door, just in case she wasn't ready for his return.

"Oh good!" He heard, but he was quite confused. It didn't sound like _her_ voice, in _her_ helmet. Kylo walked down the hallway and stoped in his tracts when he made it to the bedroom, she was laying under the sheets with only _his_ helmet on.

He busted out laughing, like a real deep, belly laugh.

"How do you even see in this thing? Everything is red!" Meria said in his helmet. Hearing her voice modulated though his helmet made him laugh even harder.

"You sound ridiculous!" Kylo said.

"Really? Because this is what you sound like."

"I do not!" He said sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Why is everything red!" Meira said looking around through his helmet.

"I like it like that."

"It's not very practical."

"Alright... go put yours on and take mine off." Kylo said.

"Mine's dirty, I need to clean it, and I don't want to right now." She said, crossing her arms over her chest like a child. Kylo responded by pulling at the sheets, yanking them down off her naked frame and climbing up over her.

"Fine... I'll fuck you in my own damn helmet, I don't care." He said, looking over her, seeing _almost_ all of her for the first time in broad daylight. He liked the contrast of her tan skin against the stark white sheets. He brushed his hand up and down her leg, stopping to rub his thumb over the various freckles and birth marks he could find.

Meira brought her hands up and pulled at his shirt, peeling it off of him. Kylo was going slow... _agonizingly slow_. He was taking his time, committing every little detail of Meira's body to memory. He was seeing her tits for the first time in daylight. He licked his lips and brought his mouth straight to one of her nipples. Meira moaned and Kylo abruptly popped off her tit.

"Alright. No.... can't do _that._ " He said, lifting his hand up to the side of the helmet and muting the voice modulator. Under the helmet Meira laughed, she had also heard how ridiculous her moan sounded coming through the abstracted modulator.

Kylo dipped his head back down to resume where he had left off. His mouth and his hands began to explore the curvatures of her body. He paused to kiss or caress every little freckle, scar, or mark that was on her body.

In his helmet, Meira's eyes were rolling to the back of her head as she felt these intense sensations. Her moans and whimpers were muffled now, but Kylo could still somewhat hear her. Kylo grabbed her by the hips and rolled her over until she was on her stomach and began his oral exploration of her back side. Her ass looked great in those leggings of hers, but it looked even better completely bare.

Kylo brought his mouth down and couldn't help but take a gentle chomp of her right ass cheek before kissing away the pain. He did the same with her left before slowly kissing his way up her spine.

Meira was squirming under Kylo. Just the kissing and the caressing was enough to get her frustratingly turned on. She kept her thighs squeezed together, feeling her pussy throbbing and crying out for attention. She just wanted him to pound her head into the headboard of the bed and split her open until her voice was hoarse and muscles hurt.

Kylo sat upAnd removed his pants, unleashing his hard dick. He grabbed her by her hips again and pulled her up onto her knees. Grabbing his cock he rubbed it over the soft flesh of her backside before slipping it between her glistening folds.

" _Fuck...._ you're _soaked..."_ Kylo moaned out.

"Ye.... yeah..." Meira responded, her voice muffled now.

"If... If I go too hard, hit me ok? I can barely hear you." Kylo said as he rocked his hips back and forth.

"Ok!" Meira said as loud as she could. Kylo continued to rock his hips back and forth between her folds, while Meira arched her back desperate for more sensation on her clit. Angling himself at her entrance, Kylo pushed himself all the way in until he was sitting flush with her.

Kylo tossed his head back and gazed up at the ceiling, his mind turned to mush over how perfect her pussy felt wrapped around him. He had both his hands on her ass cheeks and was kneading the soft pillowy flesh as he began to thrust in and out of her.

Meira relished in the sensation of being stretched open the way she was, she wanted him as deep inside of her as he could possibly get. She arched her back and wiggled her hips, spurning him on further, encouraging him to take her harder than he was. Kylo looked down and brought his thumb over her ass hole and applied pressure.

 _That_ was something Meria had never experienced before and the feeling was absolutely euphoric. It was the answer to a question she never knew to ask. She just moaned loudly and said Kylo's name over and over again in the helmet, all while arching her back and meeting his thrusts.

Kylo wasn't going to last long. He couldn't. There was no way. She was too perfect for him. He quickened his pace until Meira's head was knocking agains the headboard. She reached back and he thought he was going to signal for him to slow down, but instead she reached for his balls, gently fondling them until he couldn't take it anymore and he came, spilling into her.

He pulled himself from her, sending his cum dripping down her legs. Meira began to sit up, but Kylo placed a firm hand on the small of her back. Using the force he brought over one of their discarded bath towels and clean her up, before flipping her on to her back.

Kylo leaned forward and reached for his helmet.

"What..." She pulled away from him.

"I want to record you.... I want to play back what you sound like under there when I make you cum whenever I feel like it. Can I do that?" He asked. Meira's skin heated up even more than it already was. She was never self conscious about what she sounded like during sex, but she sure as hell was now! What did it really matter though? It was just a voice recording.

"Yeah... yeah..." she said, giving permission. Kylo hit another hidden button on the side of his helmet and then reached for her leg. He kissed the inside of her knee, working his way up, not even caring that his own cum was still dripping out of her. He just _had_ to have her on his tongue. She was too perfect for him and he craved her like water.

He brought his lips down over her clit and two fingers up to her hole and began working at her. Meira brought both her hands down to his hair and was literally panting in his helmet. She was incoherent, and little utterances, whimpers, and moans just left her lips. She pushed his face down harder into her, desperate for more pressure and sensation.

She knew that she was going to cum _hard_ , and she knew he was going to do that same thing he had done to her at the Tavern. It was why he angled the towel _just_ right under her. Kylo could feel the pressure within her walls as he sucked and twirled at her. Her legs began to shake and she pulled a little tighter on his hair, as she began to cum. He pressed his fingers upwards on that sweet spot deep within her unleashing the floodgates of her climax.

He knew she was done when she began batting his hand away from her, suddenly too sensitive for any more touch. He wiped his mouth and hand off with the towel, bunching up the soiled linen and tossing it to the corner before crawling up her body, wrapping his arms around her middle and burying his face between her breasts.

Although neither of them said anything to each other, they both felt the same warm and fuzzy sensation settle over them. Leaving them both feeling blissed out and happy.   
  
  
  
  
  


*********

**A/N**

**So I hear ya'll really like this fic.** 😉 ****

**If you are new here, please follow me on Tiktok my username there is @** **commander** **_nanata**

**Also, as I have tried to in the past, I am always trying to reach new readers with my stories, so if you like this story I would love you forever if you gave it a shoutout!**

**Also if you find any fan art that is applicable for our story here (or if you feel so inclined to make some) send it my way!!!**

**xoxo,**

**Nia** 💋


	12. Off Limits

The room was pitch black. The sheets were all but torn completely off the bed, there was a room service tray by the door, and the soft music of a nighttime street performer managed to float its way into the hotel room through the closed windows. 

Meira was laying on top of Kylo, her ear pressed to his chest listening to the beating of his heart while he twirled her hair between his fingers of his one hand and drew little circles on her back with the other. Only a small beam of light made it into the room from the completely drawn curtains and every once in a while, when Kylo looked down, he could see the light reflecting off the gold stud earrings she wore, and that was all. 

"What's your favorite color?" Meria asked, propping her chin up on his chest, her legs comfortably tangled with his, and their naked bodies caught between the thin sheets.

"Black."

"What's your second favorite color?"

"White."

" _Wow_... so exciting."

"I'm simple."

"That's one word for it."

"What's your favorite candy?"

"Sweet and sour gummy worms." Meira responded without missing a beat.

"Your ears are pierced."

"They are."

"I was making a statement, not asking a question." Kylo said, bringing his hand to her left ear and rubbing the small gold stud between his fingers. 

"Oh..." Meira said with a chuckle.

"Anywhere else pieced?" Kylo mischievously asked.

"You haven't noticed?" Meira playfully responded, Kylo just chuckled. "I had my belly button pierced when I was sixteen. I got away with it for a few weeks until my mom found out and told my dad, and my dad blew a gasket. I took it out and the hole closed up."

"How rebellious of you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, a total wild child." Meira laughed.

"Do you have siblings?" Kylo asked. The smile on Meira's face faded. 

"Yeah... one." She seriously said.

"Older or younger?"

"It's... it's complicated.... I don't really want to talk about them." Meira softly said. 

"It's not that complicated of a question, you either have an older or a younger..."

"I just _don't_ want to talk about my family... especially...." Meira sternly said, dropping her words at the very end.

"Especially what?" Kylo pressed.

"I just don't want to talk about them in detail. That's all." She said as she rolled off of him and looked up at the ceiling. 

"Family... off limits... got it." He said, turning on his side to face her. 

"What's your home planet?" Meria asked after a moment of silence passed between the two.

"Chandrila."

"Oh... fancy boy."

"Shut up."

"Do _you_ have siblings?" Meira said, rolling on her side to face him, propping her head up on her fist.

"Family's off limits for me too." Kylo flatly said. 

"Noted." 

"Why did you take this job?" Kylo asked.

"I told you before... money."

"No... no... we had offered this job to several other bounty hunters. None would work for the First Order, no matter _how much_ we offered to pay them. So there has to be a reason why you picked _this_ particular job."

"Family's off limits." Was how Meira chose to respond. Kylo had a baffled look on his face for a moment, but then he understood. Meira wasn't going to reveal her true reasons for taking the job, but whatever they were involved her family, which she was unwilling to speak about. 

"I understand." He softly said, reaching out in the darkness until he found her waist. He pulled himself to her, rolling his body over hers before finding her mouth with his in the darkness. Every time his lips touched hers sent a spark of electricity though him. Their lips and tongues moved seamlessly together.

"Enough with the questions." Meira softly said as Kylo moved his mouth down to her neck, where he started to add to the already growing collection of purple welts and love bites he had left on her. 

"Yeah.... shut up." He said as he knocked her legs apart and settled his hips between them. Meria couldn't stop herself from giggling as he grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her hands high above her head before sheathing himself into her for the fourth time that night.

"You're like a horny rabbit." Meira said after softly moaning upon his entrance of her.

"Must be something about _you_." Kylo responded as he started to rock his hips.

"Oh lucky me." She said with butterflies in her stomach.

"Don't get cocky."

"Already am..." Meria chuckled as she locked her legs around his waist. Kylo crashed his mouth on to hers before intensifying his pace, hurdling them both towards yet another orgasm of the night.

***

Kylo woke up the following morning to the room being filled with sunlight. He rolled over on the bed to find that it was empty with a simple piece of paper left on the pillow.

 _"Went out. Don't have a seizure."_ The note said. Kylo smiled at the note and then rolled back over in bed while pressing the note to the palm of his hand.

Meira had gotten up and gotten herself ready for the day and slipped out the door all while Kylo snored in the background. She needed some distance to herself. Walking alone on the walk way around the lake, Meira checked her communicator for any messages from her family.

 **How going?** -Grogu

 **Napta is difficult to travel on. But I am almost half way to the location where the quarry is. Should be there in two or three days.** -Meira responded.

 **Good.** -Grogu

 **How's Mom and Dad?** -Meria 

**Good. No change, although Dad is still mad at you.** -Grogu

 **No surprise there** -Meira

 **Just be safe.** -Grogu

 **Hey... Your lightsaber is green right?** -Meira

 **Yeah, why?** \- Grogu

 **What does a red lightsaber mean?** -Meira

 **BAD! STAY AWAY!!!** -Grogu

 **oh.....** -Meria

 **What happened!? Are you in danger? Hurt? Are you ok?** -Grogu

 **I'm fine! Nothing happened! I heard a story here... that's all.** -Meira

 **Ok... Be safe... Love you.** -Grogu

 **Love you.** -Meira

Meria stared at the conversation on the screen and blinked. She clicked the screen off and sat down on a nearby bench. Bad? Stay away? Grogu didn't even hesitate when typing out the message. It came right to her communicator almost immediately after she sent her message.

Back on The Finalizer, both the General and The Captain had explicitly told her that Kylo Ren was _difficult_. It was the whole reason _why_ she was being paid extra to begin with. Yet, Meria was beginning to wonder if there had been some sort of mistake.

Yeah, Kylo was difficult, moody, a bit of a prick, and awfully full of himself, but in _recent_ days, Meira was beginning to enjoy his company. And she was enjoying it _outside_ of the time they spent tangled in-between sheets and hopping from hotel to hotel. 

The night before, he had held her so close, played with her hair so softly, and kissed her like she was the cure to an affliction he long suffered from. She couldn't explain it. He made her feel alive, safe, and thrilled at the same time. He had this way of looking at her that made butterflies flutter in her chest and stomach.

Yet there was something else, something almost _dreadful_ that nagged at her when she thought about him. Like there was a big secret hanging in the air between them. Meria knew of course that her own secrets that she kept from him weighed heavily, yet she couldn't help but feel like he had big secrets of his own.

Meira crossed her arms and sighed in frustration. What did it matter anyway? This job was going to end, she was going to return to her family, and he was going to go back to The First Order. Nothing mattered. She was going to have to say goodbye to him and it would all just be a fading memory in the back of her mind. 

This was just a fling. And all flings eventually come to an end. 

_But Meria didn't want it to end._ It felt like it was an adventure, one she had been craving. It was the first time she was on her own away from her family, and she felt grown and vibrant! She felt like she was finally finding her own path, her own destiny, her own purpose. 

She felt alive.

The bell tower in the center of town rang out indicating that it was nearly nine o'clock. Meria figured it was time to head back to the hotel. As she walked she passed other women her age walking, talking, and sitting by cafes or on benches. They all looked happy and alive and _free._

That was one downside to _this_. Meria looked down at the armor she wore. She was covered up from head to toe. No one could see how she smiled. She couldn't feel the sun on her skin, or the breeze through her hair. 

As Meira walked she passed a young couple. She saw as the young man caressed his female companion's cheek and brushed her hair out of her face. Meira averted her eyes. It made her jealous for some reason. 

On one hand, this life path and the oaths she took brought adventure and freedom, but it came with the price of a literal cage she had to wear.

Meria thought back again to the night before. In the pitch black darkness, Kylo traced the contours of her face with his finger all while asking her questions.

_"How high are your cheek bones?"_

_"Do you have dimples?"_

_"Are your eyebrows thick or thin?"_

_"Would you say your nose is big or small?"_ She could tell by the tone of his voice he was desperate to know what she looked like. She thought it was kind of cute how he asked her the questions. She began to wonder... and worry even... if he was imagining what she looked like. She worried because she didn't want him to imagine she was far prettier than she actually was. 

What if she did show him her face and he was disappointed? What would she do then?

Meria had made it back to the hotel and rode the elevator back up to their floor. She had taken the room key when she left, so now she stood outside the hotel room door and hesitated before going in. 

In that moment, Meria didn't _feel_ like she was bounty hunting. She felt like she had run off with some random man that she barely knew and was suddenly catching feelings. She shook her head in her helmet and sighed loudly.

She needed to get her head back in the game. She needed to complete the job. She needed to focus. She _had_ to think about her family. She had to remember that everything she was doing was to protect them. She needed to continue to protect them. Especially Grogu. 

Meria didn't know much about The Force. But she knew from Grogu that there were ones who used The Force for good and ones who used it for evil. She hadn't made up her mind yet as to if Kylo was evil or not. Grogu did say red lightsabers were bad; but did that mean Kylo was evil?

Meria needed to not think too hard about it.

Meria waved the key card in front of the lock causing the door to slide open. Inside Kylo was shirtless sitting on the edge of the bed, hair damp from a shower, pants on, while he was bent over tying his boots. When Meira entered the space, he glanced up at her and cracked a half smile.

"We need to get going. There's a public transport that will take us to the next town. If we leave soon enough we might be able to walk to the town after that and shave off half a day's journey." Meira flatly said, completely avoiding his stare and going straight to packing up her things. Kylo's faint smile faded when he realized Meira was back in her "business as usual" attitude that she always maintained during the day. 

In that moment, she totally iced him out.

"I'll pack up." He said disappointedly. Meira had already shoved all her belongings back into her bag which she flung over her shoulder. She said nothing else to him before leaving the room all together, forcing him to catch up with her at the Public Transport station.

**Author's Note:**

> A/n
> 
> Hello and welcome to The Oath!!! Let's all laugh together over how I told myself I wouldn't start this until I finished "From The Shadows". Well I already had the first chapter worked up in my mind and it was bothering me so much I had to write it out.
> 
> Anywho, I don't know if I'll actually write this AND "FTS" at the same time. So I hope this first chapter wet your taste buds for what's to come.
> 
> I recently read "Rough Day" by guardianangelcas here on AO3 and I am OBSESSED and IN LOVE with that fic. So I wanted to do a little "call back" to that story. So if you haven't read "Rough Day" I STRONGLY recommend. "Rough Day" isn't finished yet, but in my mind I want Din and Sweet Girl to end up together, so that is why we have "Sweetie" here in this story. And if you haven't figured it out yet... this obviously takes place many many years after the events of The Mandalorian... which is why Grogu is kinda grown and can talk. LOL
> 
> Anywho, I just love that pic so much!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go read it!!! 
> 
> xoxo,
> 
> Nia 💋 


End file.
